Steam Account Security - Top ways to stay safe

Technology and Gaming Help and Support
#1

There seems to be a lot confusion about account security. What should it be, what shouldn’t it be. Is the user or the steam program really doing its part in maintaining the security of your steam account, blah blah blah…

This is just a reminder to everyone that security is still owned by the user, not the software/program. For most of the userbase, (95% or higher) simple and basic computer security practices will keep your account safe and out of harms way. This is just a list of some of those basics to keep in mind.

  1. E-Mail Verification USE IT FOR GOODNESS SAKE!
    Verifying your email address with Steam improves the security of your Steam Account. Once you’ve verified your email address with Steam, both your Steam Account password and access to your email account are required in order to make any changes to your Steam Account credentials, such as your password, secret question and answer, and contact email address. This helps further protect your Steam Account from being stolen by a potential phisher.

There is absolutly no reason you should not be doing this. Go here for more info:

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=5151-RUAS-1543

  1. Protect your steam account login/password info with your life. The only places you should be keying your password into is one of three places, the steam interface itself, or two specific websites that you typed into the url address bar YOURSELF. That would be the Steam store https://store.steampowered.com/login or the Steam Community https://steamcommunity.com (notice the S in https for SECURITY!)

Remember, just because it says https://steamcommunity.com doesnt mean it really is https://steamcommunity.com. Amirite!? Right!

So …

  • Don’t click links. Type it in if you want to go somewhere on the net.
  • VALVe/STEAM/VAC Employees will NEVER use free email providers such as gmail, hotmail or msn and they never contact you out of the blue. Never. NEVER EVER.
  • VALVe/STEAM/VAC Employees will NEVER ask for passwords. Never. NEVER EVER.
  • Do NOT use the same username/password as what you have on other websites/forums.
  • DO NOT give your key or password out. NOT EVEN TO:

Your mom, brother, dad, sister or other relatives

  • Your friends, pretend friends, bestest bestest friends in the whole wide world
  • People in Im’s, Pm’s, or other messaging systems ANYWHERE
  • Anyone offering free games or free anything. There are websites that LOOK like a Steam website, but they are fake and phish for account details rather well. So be careful…Especially “links” sent to you through a “friend” that take you to a fake website that LOOKS like the steam community. Remember, once your account is hijacked, the first thing the diptwad does is pull up your friends list and then starts sending pms to them to see who else might click the provided link and login to the fake steam site.
  1. Be careful of outside programs that could compromise your account.
    Viruses, keyloggers, spyware… all of that is a potential issue for your steam account so be sure you have programs (PLURAL) to keep you clean and clean often! I can’t stress this enough folks! Just cuz “Malwarebites” doesn’t find a Trojan doesn’t mean you are clean. It may be that “Adaware” or “AVG” find something that others don’t find. There are enough free programs out there… USE THEM! and use them often!
  1. Cheats or Modified core game files.

If you have done either of these things then you need to stay away from vac secured servers.

Example: You install and play PARANOIA or BLOOM MOD which are mods that clearly announce that they use a modified opengl32.dll file. This is not a “cheat”, however because it uses a modified game file… and if you do not switch it back to the original game file before going on a vac secured server… you WILL BE FLAGGED FOR A VAC BAN. No it will not be unbanned. VAC bans for specific code behaviors, not intentions.

  1. “No thank you!” Be careful who you accept gifts from! Be VERY careful!
    Example: Joe Shmoe is a Smuck. He stole his best friends mom’s credit card and went out and purchased a bunch of games with it. He then turned around and either gave them away via the “gift” system or he SOLD the games. The unsuspecting person receives this gift or game and assigns it to his uber leet kewl steam account that has over $200 dollars worth of games on it. A month later Steam revokes access to that game due to credit card fraud. You are out your money, so take care of where you get your games from!

My Gift Has Been Revoked

Reasons for Disabled Accounts

  1. “OMG! I have been hijacked!” If for some reason your account IS stolen from you:

Screenshot Instructions

https://www.catzeyes93.com/images/SteamAccountHijackHelp/HELP.html

Text Instructions
You have a steam account to play games on
You have a steam forum account to post on the steam forums
You have a steam support account for times you are having issues with your steam account

  1. Register a steam support account here: https://support.steampowered.com/register.php
  2. Then go to create a support ticket here: https://support.steampowered.com/newticket.php
  3. Be sure to give them as much information about your steam account and what happened.
  4. Be prepared to offer them proof of ownership. (Purchase receipt, CC billing statement, jpg scan of cd key or other proof of purchase)
  5. You will be using your steam support account to check on the status of your ticket here https://support.steampowered.com/ticketlist.php as well as sending any additional requested info.

Note: Tickets are answered in the order they are received and many times within 24 hours for hijacked accounts. The official time frame for tickets are 3 - 5 business days though.

While you are waiting on your ticket here are some popular topics to read:

#2

This thread has popped up within four days of five members of Hampshire Heavies getting their accounts hijacked O_o

Another thing to remember is that hijackers usually use your friends list against you to phish even more people, which is how five members got phished.

#3

Man, it’s so easy to whip up a duplicate site like that, and if that many people fall for it, it could be worth trying it to make a buck.

#4

Actually me and a friend once set up multiple runescape-account stealing websites. They’re so easy to do and the rewards can sometimes be pretty good.

Of course they all got shut down long ago.

#5

useful stuph here.

#6

Steam User Forums stickied my thread. :blush:

https://forums.steampowered.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=35

#7

Doesn’t look too sticky from here.

#8

I was going to say… :frowning:

#9

hrumph… it WAS stickied …

I see they removed it as a sticky and then deleted not only the moderators post claiming it sticky, and then my subsiquent post after it.

fine then. I should erase it completely.

#10

Don’t worry Catz, it was stickied again!

#11

Also note people that not even VALVe or STEAM Employees will ask for your Steam Account Pass. Also they won’t try and contact you on friends or any other IM. Also note that VALVe doesn’t use free email providers such as google or msn… For example: steam.support @live.com or valve-corporation @gmail.com. This includes those

Sorry I thought that should be added with your

“2) Protect your steam account login info with your life or whatever.”

=D

#12

It was stickied again! quick get a screenshot!

And thank you kindly PharCry, I think I will add your two bits to it.

#13

:smiley:

#14

Top Tip:
Never tell your password to anyone.

#15

Useful thread, I am now 45% less likely to be violated.

#16

Seeing how I killed the original thread in steam, I suggest everyone bookmark this one over here.

#17

Guilty as charged! :awesome:
[/INDENT]

#18

Also I know a new rule block anyone who gives you an invite, and you don’t know them.

#19

can I has your account?

#20

That’s not necessarily good advice. I’ve added a few people that I haven’t met except through the BM Chat, and there has been no mutual password theft.

Founded in 2004, Leakfree.org became one of the first online communities dedicated to Valve’s Source engine development. It is more famously known for the formation of Black Mesa: Source under the 'Leakfree Modification Team' handle in September 2004.