Valve Unveils Hardware-Based Steam Securit

Evilsod · 4 Mar 2011 at 22:41

Gimpymoo said:
UNLESS it is a move towards allowing more than one instance of a Steam account to be opened at any one time which is something I would love to see.

Very unlikely. Publishers definitely wouldn't like the idea of 1 steam account being used by multiple people simultaneously.
The whole optional thing by developers is worrying though yes.

fluff said:
They're trying to protect the idiots. Give Valve a break.

Silly really because most of them won't adopt the system...

orderoftheflame · 4 Mar 2011 at 22:42

Just had a play. Seems like a very good idea so far.

Works as you'd expect. Set my PC first, then tried to login on my laptop and was denied.

Followed the steps and it all works as normal.

Interestingly though, my verified email address is on my own domain, and not a gmail.com address at all. Can only guess it's some generic message that they've mistyped.

Evilsod said:
Silly really because most of them won't adopt the system...

From what I've read it'll be on by default when it comes out of beta, with an option to turn it off if you don't want it. You'd be right though if they hadn't, the people that would benefit most from it (people that don't use the current verification) wouldn't have used it.

Good really, because given my brief look at it I can't see why you'd ever not want it.

Klo · 4 Mar 2011 at 22:56

orderoftheflame said:
Good really, because given my brief look at it I can't see why you'd ever not want it.

Because I don't want to look at my emails every time I change computer?

MumboJumbo · 4 Mar 2011 at 22:58

Looks very good actually, not what I was lead to believe. Well played valve.

Rimsy · 4 Mar 2011 at 23:01

Aod said:
something like an RSA SecurID token would be better.

this

orderoftheflame · 4 Mar 2011 at 23:02

Klo said:
Because I don't want to look at my emails every time I change computer?

You don't have to do it every time you change computer though.

You have to do it once per new computer you use. Those computers are then forever able to access your Steam account until you decide to de-authorise them.

How many people have Steam installed on more than three or four computers?

MumboJumbo · 4 Mar 2011 at 23:04

orderoftheflame said:
You don't have to do it every time you change computer though.

You have to do it once per new computer you use. Those computers are then forever able to access your Steam account until you decide to de-authorise them.

How many people have Steam installed on more than three or four computers?

He's just making an argument for the sake of it. If he really cared that much he simply wouldn't use the feature.

Margaret · 5 Mar 2011 at 08:50

I knew Valve wouldn't make this troublesome for those with additional computers. Dunno why you lot were worried.

tom113 · 5 Mar 2011 at 20:47

http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/03/05/gabe-newell-gives-out-his-steam-password/

Gotta love Gabe hehe

Aod · 5 Mar 2011 at 23:00

what CPU generations does this require then? will a G0 Q6600 and a Penryn P8400 work?

Aod · 5 Mar 2011 at 23:05

Dj_Jestar said:
RSA SecurIDs are dongles.

And if you are referring to having to type in the 6 digits, how on earth is that better? They are a complete pain the the rear.

Dongle generally means that it needs to be plugged in to your computer to function. this was the meaning of the term since hardware-based authentication began.
<edit> and Wikipedia agrees with me: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongle

the benefit of the RSA-style token is that you don't have to remember to unplug it from one machine if you want to login on you laptop when you're not at home, or if you're on holiday and you want to login to steam but you can't because you've left your dongle in your desktop and it's now thousands of miles away.

with an RSA-Style token, you can always have it with you.

Also, with the current implementation of the system as it stands, if a hacker gains access to your steam account and your email (not that unlikely) then the security is for naught.

with an RSA-style token, they'd need to physically be with your token to login.

chimaera · 6 Mar 2011 at 08:55

What i'd REALLY like to see but will never happen is for valve to implement an authenticator system including dongle and mobile app, and then go to blizzard and make a deal that you can authenticate into steam with a blizzard dongle and vice versa.

That would be perfect for me, i don't want to have individual dongles or security methods for every single publisher.

scrlk · 6 Mar 2011 at 12:27

Idea: Put mobile number in, receive text with a one time use code and problem solved.

Pain in the arse, but I'd say it's easier to manage rather than a dongle/token.

craptakular · 6 Mar 2011 at 12:51

I use my steam account on my mac and PC, fails. Looks like I will be a full-time console gamer then???

Tombo · 6 Mar 2011 at 12:58

Read the thread my friend, when you login to another a computer it sends a code to your email that you need to enter.

Not to mention it's optional.

KIA · 6 Mar 2011 at 13:16

tom113 said:
http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/03/05/gabe-newell-gives-out-his-steam-password/

Gotta love Gabe hehe

Wow, Gabe is a legend.

Boozebeard · 6 Mar 2011 at 14:13

I hope everyone complaining actually read the whole post, including the very important bit about it being voluntary.

For gods sake people, it wasn't even a very long post.

Antar Bolaeisk · 6 Mar 2011 at 16:51

tom113 said:
http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/03/05/gabe-newell-gives-out-his-steam-password/

Gotta love Gabe hehe

I wonder how many people are currently working to circumvent this security system right now

orderoftheflame · 16 Mar 2011 at 20:08

Steam Guard is out of beta now.

Well worth sorting out for yourself imo.

gropingmantis · 16 Mar 2011 at 20:12

Just got it pop up in the update window when I finished playing DS just now but my Client says its up to date so I don't know whats happening.

edit: restarted steam and now its working.