Public enema number one
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Steam gaming web site gets hacked
ONLINE GAMING HOUSE Valve has admitted to its customers that its systems have been hacked, just days after it closed down its forums for undisclosed reasons.
Earlier this week the web site's forums were locked to new posts, prompting questions about whether it had been attacked in some way. Now we learn that the firm is warning its users about a recent attack that compromised its user database.
"Our Steam forums were defaced on the evening of Sunday, November 6. We began investigating and found that the intrusion goes beyond the Steam forums," said a message signed by Valve's founder Gabe Newell.
"We learned that intruders obtained access to a Steam database in addition to the forums. This database contained information including user names, hashed and salted passwords, game purchases, email addresses, billing addresses and encrypted credit card information."
Newell added that there is no evidence that any encrypted card details have been stolen or that any passwords were cracked. However, he said that the firm is still investigating what happened.
"We don't have evidence of credit card misuse at this time. Nonetheless you should watch your credit card activity and statements closely," he warned.
"While we only know of a few forum accounts that have been compromised, all forum users will be required to change their passwords the next time they login. If you have used your Steam forum password on other accounts you should change those passwords as well."
Unlike in other recent attacks Steam is not forcing its users to change their passwords, but it suggested that this would not be a bad idea. µ
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They got the personal info and the email addresses and the CC numbers and passwords, although those last 2 were encrypted.
In other words it's almost exactly as severe as sony except that they manage to keep the system running.
Oh and they aren't as evil as sony, so it's much more nasty from the hackers to do it.
Having been a customer of valve since the beginning I find it encouraging that the hackers only had access to limited info, Sony on the other hand had not protected its data quite as well. As valve have never in their history really put a foot wrong they could have mailed the data out themselves and I would still forgive them.
Received the first effect from my ancient out-of-use steamforums account in the form of an e-mail trying to sell me cheat hacks.
So it seems they ARE using the stolen e-mail accounts.
This seems very nice for valve since those selling those cheats list a website, so if valve puts some detectives on that they should be able to track down the culprits, who then can lean on them to find the hacker.
It's a pity that the US can't handle such things elegantly though so he'll either walk or they go completely over the top on his ass.
Amusing reddit item on this subject:
http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/m8hfm/gabe_responds_to_origin_selling_info_to_marketers/
Now that my previous comment about how this hack might have been a result of industrial sabotage by white hats paid by EA has been removed, I am 100% sure I was right.
I bet that some EA shills work for Incisive Media and are censoring the comments that say bad things about their products or company attitude.