Valve: Steam User Data Not Compromised in Hack

Valve has refuted recent claims of a "major" data breach affecting its Steam platform, firmly stating there was "NO compromise" of Steam's systems.

While initial reports suggesting 89 million user records were exposed caused concern, Steam's investigation revealed only outdated SMS messages containing temporary codes were leaked – none containing sensitive user information.

Through an official announcement on Steam, Valve clarified: "Our analysis confirmed the leaked data only included expired verification codes and associated phone numbers – completely disconnected from account credentials, payment details, or other personal information."

"These outdated codes pose zero security risk since they expire within 15 minutes. Furthermore, all account changes via SMS trigger immediate email and secure message notifications," Valve reassured users.

Valve seized this moment to emphasize the importance of enabling the Steam Mobile Authenticator for optimal account protection, describing it as "the most secure solution for account-related communications."

With cybersecurity threats rising globally and Steam's massive user base exceeding 89 million accounts, the initial concern was understandable. The gaming industry remembers painfully the 2011 PlayStation Network outage, where hackers compromised 77 million accounts during a month-long service disruption.

Corporate data remains equally vulnerable, as demonstrated by Game Freak's security incident last October exposing employee records and confidential development plans. Similarly, Sony reported breaches affecting nearly 7,000 current and former employees' data in 2023, while December saw Insomniac Games suffer leaks containing Marvel's Spider-Man development materials.