Valve has firmly refuted recent reports suggesting that its Steam platform experienced a "major" data hack, asserting that there was "NOT a breach" of Steam systems. Despite concerns from users over reports claiming that over 89 million user records were compromised, Steam's thorough investigation revealed that the leak involved only "older text messages." These messages contained one-time code SMSs but did not include any personal data.
In a statement released on Steam, Valve detailed their findings after examining the leak sample, concluding that no customer data was compromised. They explained, "The leak consisted of older text messages that included one-time codes that were only valid for 15-minute time frames and the phone numbers they were sent to. The leaked data did not associate the phone numbers with a Steam account, password information, payment information, or other personal data."
Valve further reassured users that "Old text messages cannot be used to breach the security of your Steam account, and whenever a code is used to change your Steam email or password using SMS, you will receive a confirmation via email and/or Steam secure messages."
Additionally, Valve took the opportunity to encourage players to enhance their account security by setting up the Steam Mobile Authenticator, which provides 2-factor security and is considered "the best way to send secure messages about your account and your account's safety."Given the increasing frequency of data breaches and the fact that over 89 million users have Steam accounts, the concern over potential security compromises was understandable. One of the most notorious video game-related data breaches occurred in 2011 when the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable networks were severely compromised, leading to a nearly month-long outage and affecting 77 million accounts.
Moreover, it's not just customer data that's vulnerable. In October of the previous year, Pokémon developer Game Freak was hit by a significant hack that leaked data about its current and former staff, as well as details about its development pipeline. In 2023, Sony confirmed that data belonging to nearly 7,000 of its current and former employees was compromised in two separate breaches that year. Additionally, in December 2023, hackers breached confidential data at Marvel's Spider-Man developer, Insomniac.
