Valve has firmly rejected recent reports suggesting its Steam platform experienced a "major" data hack, emphasizing there was "NOT a breach" of Steam systems.
While some users were alarmed by claims that over 89 million user records had been compromised, Steam's thorough investigation revealed that the incident involved a leak of "older text messages." Importantly, these messages contained only one-time code SMSs and did not include any personal data.
In a statement posted on Steam, Valve clarified that after reviewing the leaked data, it concluded that customer data remained secure. The company stated: "The leak consisted of older text messages that included one-time codes valid only for 15-minute intervals and the phone numbers they were sent to. Crucially, the leaked data did not link the phone numbers to any Steam account, password information, payment details, or other personal data."
Valve further reassured users that "old text messages cannot be used to breach the security of your Steam account." They added that any code used to change a Steam email or password via SMS triggers a confirmation email and/or a secure message on Steam.
Valve also took this opportunity to encourage users to enable the Steam Mobile Authenticator for enhanced 2-factor security, noting it as "the best way to receive secure messages about your account and its safety."Given the increasing frequency of data breaches and with over 89 million Steam accounts, users had legitimate concerns about a potential security compromise. One of the most notorious video game-related data breaches happened in 2011, when the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable networks were down for nearly a month, affecting 77 million accounts due to a hack.
It's not just customer data at stake. Just last October, Pokémon developer Game Freak was hit with a significant hack that leaked data about its past and present staff, as well as details on its development projects. A year earlier in 2023, Sony confirmed that data from nearly 7,000 of its current and former employees was compromised in two separate breaches that year. Additionally, in December 2023, hackers accessed confidential data at Marvel's Spider-Man developer, Insomniac.
