14 DAY TRIAL // The team at Valve in charge of the Steam digital distribution service is announcing that it is aware of an issue that appeared on Christmas day and that allowed some users to sometimes see the account information associated with other people on the official personal page. However, it says that it has delivered an update that is designed to solve the problem.
The company also makes it clear that no actual hacking attempt caused it and that the entire ecosystem centered around the software is perfectly safe, with gamers able to continue their usual activity and enjoy the on-going Winter Sale.
An official update points out that details including credit card information and phone numbers for users are censored at all times and that no one should be able to identify a player based on the details they have seen accidentally.
Valve explains, “As a result of a configuration change earlier today, a caching issue allowed some users to randomly see pages generated for other users for a period of less than an hour. This issue has since been resolved. We believe no unauthorized actions were allowed on accounts beyond the viewing of cached page information and no additional action is required by users.”
Some gamers were understandable spooked by the ability to see some details on personal pages, and the very existence of the issue raises some questions about the company's capability to protect details about its users. Nevertheless, for the moment, it seems that no security breach has happened and that changing of passwords is not something that they should worry about.
Steam is the largest digital distribution system on the PC, and that makes it especially important for Valve to make sure that it keeps it as secure as possible to maintain the confidence of gamers.
The Winter Sale is running until January 4
It would have been complicated for the company to deal with an actual security breach at this point because it is running one of the biggest promotional campaigns of the year and wants as many of its users engaged with it.
The current Winter Sale cuts the price of more than 10,000 titles in the Steam library, with special offers that change each day to highlight particular video games and franchises.
The company is also encouraging users to go through their Discover queues to see games that may appeal to them and is using the Steam cards system to help them do so, although no mini-game is linked to this particular sale.
A special comic is also offered to celebrate the occasion, and there are special account emblems that can be unlocked.
In 2015, Valve expanded the Steam universe by launching its dedicated gaming controller and the Steam machines created in partnership with hardware makers, while also offering the Steam Link to those who want to play from the comfort of their couch.
The company is also interested in delivering a virtual reality solution in 2016, via a collaboration with HTC.
The Vive does not currently have a clear launch date or attached price, and it will have to compete with the Oculus Rift and the dedicated hardware from Sony for the PlayStation 4