Valve Confirms: Steam User Data Safe from Hack

Valve has refuted recent reports suggesting that its Steam platform experienced a "major" data hack, firmly stating that there was "NOT a breach" of Steam systems.

Despite concerns among some users that over 89 million user records might have been compromised, Steam's 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 shared on the Steam platform, Valve detailed its findings after analyzing the leaked data. The company clarified, "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, stating, "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."

Given the increasing frequency of data breaches and the fact that over 89 million users have Steam accounts, concerns about potential security threats were understandable. The most infamous video game-related data breach occurred in 2011, when the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable networks were severely compromised, resulting in a nearly month-long outage and the compromise of 77 million accounts.

It's not just customer data that's at risk. Just last October, Pokémon developer Game Freak suffered a significant hack, leading to the leak of data about its former and current staff, as well as details of its development pipeline. One year prior, in 2023, Sony confirmed that data of nearly 7,000 of its current and former employees had been compromised in two breaches that year. Additionally, in December 2023, hackers breached confidential data at Marvel's Spider-Man developer, Insomniac, highlighting the ongoing threat to data security in the gaming industry.