14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer Valve has recently introduced two-factor authentication for all those who are aiming to make trades using its virtual items marketplace and the company claims that the solution is crucial for the future of the Steam digital ecosystem because of the magnitude of the hacker attacks that have recently been taking place.
Gamers can use a special mobile application to enable the extra level of protection and to make sure that their accounts stay as safe as possible in the long term.
In a new blog post, Valve explains that account hijacking has been around for a while, but the problem increased exponentially since the digital economy has become important for gamers, mainly through the use of real-world money to fund the acquisition of virtual cards.
The studio adds, "enough money now moves around the system that stealing virtual Steam goods has become a real business for skilled hackers. Second, practically every active Steam account is now involved in the economy, via items or trading cards, with enough value to be worth a hacker's time. Essentially all Steam accounts are now targets."
According to the company, even seasoned gamers are targeted and hacked, with more than 77,000 taken over and cleaned out each month and huge numbers of items that need to be replaced.
Valve has long had a policy of replacing the items that were stolen and traded away via Steam, which introduces its range of distortions to the economy, but says that increased security via two-factor authorization is the only way to keep the system working as intended.
Steam users should work to increase their security
The company says that those who are using the Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator will be able to continue to use the trading mechanic as they did before.
For the rest of the community, a number of restrictions are being introduced to make sure that there are fewer ways for the hackers to profit from taking over an account, including holding items for three days before they are delivered.
Valve apologizes for the extra step it is introducing for most Steam users and says that it is comfortable with this trade-off between security and ease of use.
The digital distribution system is still the biggest such solution on the PC, and its security concerns will probably soon become relevant for those playing on the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4.
Home console accounts are at the moment a smaller target for those who seek to hack accounts and get access to virtual items, mainly because it's easier to try and breach security to find credit card numbers and identity information.
But as the two devices from Sony and Microsoft sell more units, it's very likely that complex security measures will be required to keep accounts safe and gamers happy when it comes to their online presence.
Valve is preparing to launch its big Christmas sale, and the improved security system will get its first big test during one of the busiest periods of the year, both regarding spending and trading.