The would-be Half Life 3 developers have implemented new Steam Trading restrictions to ensure safety.
[dropcap size=big]W[/dropcap]hether you’re a Steam user with a hefty wallet and a huge library of games, or someone who just splurges during a sale, it is always best to use precaution. While this digital distribution platform is a relatively safe way to buy and play PC games, theft still occurs.
In a recent blog post on account security and trading, Valve has revealed that close to 77,000 Steam accounts are “hacked and pillaged” every month.
“What used to be a handful of hackers is now a highly effective, organized network, in the business of stealing and selling items. It would be easier for them to go after the users who don’t understand how to stay secure online, but the prevalence of items make it worthwhile to target everyone,” Valve explains. “These are not new or naïve users; these are professional CS:GO players, reddit contributors, item traders, etc. Users can be targeted randomly as part of a larger group or even individually. Hackers can wait months for a payoff, all the while relentlessly attempting to gain access. It’s a losing battle to protect your items against someone who steals them for a living.”
The post goes on to cite Steam Trading (the ability to swap items and games), as a prominent way hackers are able to access victim accounts, take their goods, and then sell them illegally.
Valve is well aware of this issue, and they have outlined different measures that can be taken to prevent this theft.
One main security feature on Steam to prevent hacking is two-factor authorization through the Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator. Two-factor authorization is the process of confirming your identity on Steam through a device other than your PC, like a smartphone, so that hacking can be stopped on a device the hacker does not have access to.
This process can be done through the Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator, a feature on the Steam Mobile App. Unfortunately, this is a feature not many Steam users have utilized, so Valve has developed a compromise to ensure safer Steam Trading.
Here’s how Steam Trading (as of 12/09/15) now works:
- Anyone losing items in a trade will need to have a Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator enabled on their account for at least 7 days and have trade confirmations turned on. Otherwise, items will be held by Steam for up to 3 days before delivery.
- If you’ve been friends for at least 1 year, items will be held by Steam for up to 1 day before delivery.
- Accounts with a Mobile Authenticator enabled for at least 7 days are no longer restricted from trading or using the Market when using a new device since trades on the new device will be protected by the Mobile Authenticator.
So basically, if you have the Mobile Authenticator activated, you can trade like normal (just check what items you want to trade with a buddy).
However, if you do not, you may have to wait up to three days for the trade to go through.
While this policy change may upset some avid Steam Trade users, we are glad Valve is doing all they can to make sure Steam is a safe place to buy and sell games.
Check out Steam’s Announcements page for more updates on security and safety.
