Steam hacked - All Steam users are adviced to change their Steam passwords(Nov. 2011)

[Schalke 04]

I didn't use my credit card on steam and made a direct bank transfer instead by online banking.

Am I at a lower or higher risk now?

 

[binhthuy71]

That's why I rarely by games. Railroads! Civ:Col, Civ V, the new Settlers games... All of them are crap in my opinion.

Instead I play the original Colonization from 1994, Settlers II from 1996, Railroad Tycoon Deluxe from 1993, Transport Tycoon from 1994 and Dune II from 1992. These games are ten times better than any new game I've played, don't require any expensive graphic cards and don't require any online activasion.

I still play the original XCOM: UFO Defense. It's one of those rare games that got it right from the beginning. If I want to blow stuff up, nothing beats Total Annihilation. It isn't that the newer games are bad, it's more that the market for strategic sims has been completely dwarfed by cookie cutter FPS games so the sims get short shrift when it comes to development and publisher support. Why spend the time and money to code a complex strategic sim when you can grab an easily bought game engine, offshore the graphics assets, and sell a bazillion copies of "Tactical Squad Based Killah Combat"?

 

[WimpyTheWarrior]

I didn't use my credit card on steam and made a direct bank transfer instead by online banking.

Am I at a lower or higher risk now?

Probably at a lower risk. You profile shows you're in Germany, and I am not directly familiar with the German direct pay system. However if it is similar to the Australian bPay system, you can provide your bank account details (not bank login details) safely. The AU banking system required additional authentication to draw money from an account, so knowledge of someone bank account details is not enough to perform fraud.

These electronic payment systems replaced the paper checks, and paper checks always had your bank account details when you gave the check to the merchant.

However to be safe, if your bank details were stored on Steam I would contact your bank for their advice.

 

[SimonD]

I tried to load a use a computer I have never used before to play Civ V and Steam detected this and would not allow me to start until I had entered the code they sent me in an e-mail - not sure if this is a new security feature but it is welcome anyway.

 

[spammikone]

Fuck Steam. I've never bought anything from it at all, or from any online distribution system for that matter. I have about ten or so games in Steam which I was forced to add there. It's preposterous I have to activate the physical game I bought from store for single player purposes. Actually why the fuck should activation be in multiplayer too? Doesn't pose much an issue when you are in internet anyway, but all these security problems still exist and there was online gaming pre-Steam if you didn't know.

The only times I have had the urge to play Half-Life 2 after the release was when my internet was down. Yep. And if someone stoles my account or just causes general mischief with it resulting in a ban in all my games I can't do shit because corporate America. Players are so goddamn attention deficient they have to have everything on the spot instead voting with their (parents) vallets (eg. preorder Civ 5 and cry on the forums that the game sucks) and waiting and pressuring the publishers if they don't like something. Steam & shit and all those console stores are for adding money to your account. So you won't pay monthly subscription fee like in a MMO, but more or less equal amount in "cheap" games and DLC crap. Sorry bad analogy, in MMO's they add new content. DLC's are about adding old content.

Moderator Action: Please keep an eye on your language.

 

[Rupe]

At the end of the day it all comes down to one thing that cannot be argued. If they would have had an option to instal and play the game without any of the Steam stuff for those that don't want it or any of the "benefits" that Steam has this whole thing wouldn't be an issue.

It all come down to being able to make your own decisions. Those that think its no big deal can install Steam and take their chances. Those that want no part can play it like Civ 4. If you got hacked because you chose to go Steam then you cant really complain as you knew the risk.

The only choice any of us had was to buy the game or not. This is why I haven't bought Battlefield 3. I don't want the Origin crap on my machine. Especially after the Sony thing earlier and now this.

Bottom line. The Steam thing is cool and great but shouldn't be forced on us.

 

[WeneedmoreCivs]

Scan your systems! Stopzilla found a hijacker in my Steam folder which was causing my PC to freeze and crash. I love civ v but steam has been quite annoying...why can't civ just stand alone?

 

[Akka]

I'm fine with that as long it's about preventing piracy. However, Steam is not about preventing piracy. Steam is a marketplace/rental store.

- Steam keeps track of what games you're playing
- Steam shows ads of other games you might be willing to buy
- Steam forces you to run Steam for no apparent reason, other than to be able to collect data and show ads
- Steam prevents you from selling games you don't like

It's not designed to stop pirates, no matter what they claim. Steam is about getting more control the people who actually pay for the game, because they are the ones that are most likely to buy DLC's and other games. Very few people would visit the local game store every week to buy the latest DLC, however, when it's only a click a away and your credit card is already connected, it's much more tempting. So whether or not you "enjoy the benefits of Steam", make no mistake - You are NOT helping to prevent piracy. You are just helping the software companies to adapt a more lucrative way of doing business. Not by preventing piracy, but allowing them to make more money from the paying customers.

Great post
Too bad the Steam fanboys will try to rationalize everything about this away.
Expect to hear a lot about "it's normal, they are here to make money", because it seems that if your goal is to make money, you're ethically allowed everything.

 

[WeneedmoreCivs]

Great post
Too bad the Steam fanboys will try to rationalize everything about this away.
Expect to hear a lot about "it's normal, they are here to make money", because it seems that if your goal is to make money, you're ethically allowed everything.

That's the American way!

The idea is fine, but steam seems poorly run and constructed. I like the DLC model but would like better communication and more content.

Just be sure to scan your steam folders, stopzila found a hijacker in mine.

 

[Schalke 04]

@WimpyTheWarrior: thx for your evaluation!

 

[Schalke 04]

Scan your systems! Stopzilla found a hijacker in my Steam folder which was causing my PC to freeze and crash. I love civ v but steam has been quite annoying...why can't civ just stand alone?

I've found two viruses on my PC today as well (detected by Avira AV). I don't know if they were located in the steam folders though.

 

[Senethro]

Its like the old days! So many familiar faces, many of whom broke their Civ5 boycott.

 

[binhthuy71]

Its like the old days! So many familiar faces, many of whom broke their Civ5 boycott.

That's funny all right. I was one of the steadfast members of the boycott. Civ v is a good game and it will, in time, be a better one.

 

[Guardian_PL]

That's funny all right. I was one of the steadfast members of the boycott. Civ v is a good game and it will, in time, be a better one.

Yeah, over the time the turd in the box dries out so the stench is no longer overwhelming. I guess you can call it improvement.

Its like the old days! So many familiar faces, many of whom broke their Civ5 boycott.

Not me, I haven't even been to these forums for a month or so. In the end heartbreaking disappointment wore off, the lesson was made and now I no longer feel being punished for my love for civ series. I feel indifferent.

It feels like a replay to watch same show going on the Heroes VI forums as here on Civ5 release. But courtesy of Firaxis I am now smarter and I knew that new Heroes will be crap, regardless of the hype.

 

[Guardian_PL]

Okay, let's set some things straight for the ignorant (cough most) people here.

Moderator Action: As mentioned on the previous page of the thread, please do not call other members ignorant.
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

First off, the hack occurred on the Steam forums. Steam forums and Steam accounts are two separate entities. If you had two different passwords for the two accounts, there is an extremely (and I emphasize, extremely) low risk of your Steam account password being exposed. Modern encryption, especially with salting makes it damn near impossible to crack those passwords without the key. With that being said, it is always, always a good idea to change your password after something like this, irrelevant of whether or not it affected you (on the tiny off chance that it did)

Second: you should have had Steam Guard enabled. If you have that enabled, then you're pretty much home free. Unless you happen to use the same password for your email, in which case you're pretty screwed. Still, it's your own damned fault. Never use a weak and non-unique password for your email as you can recover access (and thus someone else can too) to most of your other accounts through your email. Anyways, Valve sent out plenty of emails, plenty of in-Steam notices about having Steam Guard enabled. If you didn't do it, well, your own damned fault.

Third: if by some stoke of unluckiness your account was breached and there are charges being made against your account -- dispute them! First of all, make sure you're checking your card statements for the next week -- if any erroneous or fraudulent charges pop up, make sure you report them. With this being said, they are fraud charges, you can dispute them and get your money back. You will likely have to close your card or even more so the bank will likely immediately issue you a new one (and invalidate the old). Sorry, I know it sucks, but thats how it is on the Internet.

Fourth: To all those of you who say you 'deleted' Steam -- you didn't. Their databases, just like every other internet-based company out there, still contains your info. So if you think you're safe because a month ago you stuck your head in the sand, you're quite wrong. Make sure you stay vigilant, and better yet, go log back in, change your passwords, etc. Before you go bashing Steam for keeping your data -- Google does it. Yahoo does it. Facebook does it. Hell I bet even CFC does it. From a technological standpoint, it is much more difficult to delete a database entry that is referenced in multiple places than to just invalidate it. That is how current database-driven sites work. I want to repeat, Steam is not alone in this, everybody does it. If you do not want to have your information stored and collected, go and unplug your modem, and go back under your rock.

Finally, I want to address the 'increasing amount of data breaches'. Yes, they have increased, but only because the number of people and services online have too. In fact, I would say that as a percentage of overall activity online, they have either stayed the same or decreased. In the past, companies would rarely if ever report major data breaches such as this. It was bad PR to announce them, so they kept them under the wraps. The data was still stolen though. These days, the PR hit from not taking action right after a data breach such as this is much greater with the proliferation of internet-based media. Thus, you are in fact much more likely to hear about a major data breach, and more likely to hear about it in time to prevent your personal data being used in nefarious ways. It has gotten a lot better in the last decade. In addition, the recognition of data breaches as a major issue means there are many more ways to address them after the fact, and it is a lot easier to get some sort of compensation if for instance your bank accounts are flushed.

So please, those of you getting your panties in a twist. You have every right to be pissed off, but little right to be pissed off at just Steam. This kind of stuff happens a lot more often than you think. You should most of all be pissed at the people who perpetrated this.



Suit yourself. Despite this breach, Ill continue to enjoy the games Steam brings me. 80+ games and under 300$ spent on all of them. Booyah. Not to mention the myriad of other things Valve as a company does.



Popped up on Update News for me immediately when I started Steam.




Nobody shoved it down your throat but you. You didn't have to buy the game, but you did. Quit whining, nobody forced you.



Right on. This man has the right idea.



The likelihood of that is very very tiny. It is also a risk you take every time you use the internet. Not a Steam exclusive (heh-heh)



Doesn't matter, your info is still in their database. Deleting your account merely marks it as inactive in their database.



Im more paranoid than most about this (ask anyone on IRC, I've been called a foil-hat-nut about privacy) but even I realize that this is not an exclusively Steam issue. So yes, all you paranoid folks were..I would not say you were wrong, but just a wee bit off on your aim. You should have been paranoid about..oh the whole Internet.



It's a multiplayer game. Anyone that says otherwise is an eejit. Before you say otherwise, tell me, is that a Multiplayer button in the in-game menu?



For the love of god don't use any other digital distribution platforms. The only one on the same level as Steam I would say is GOG. Everyone else is even worse about your data.

As for the email, thats your own damned fault. It's your email, you should know how to access it.



You more than likely wont. Now PayPal on the other hand, give them any leeway and they'll suck you dry.



as said above, your data is still in their databases. God forbid you used the same password as for your email, because then they could get at your email, and from there, anything linked to your email is their apple.



Nope, just being reported more often, which is a good thing. Because at least you know and can take steps to mitigate the damage versus not knowing until you've been bled dry.



That's not a credit card, that is a debit card. If you used an actual credit card, you would be fairly bulletproof. The two are not the same. With a credit card, you have a lot more recourse as the money has not been drawn from your bank accounts, but is rather still just a debt (that you can dispute)



Because we all know how well yelling 'Fire!' in a theatre works. They made a statement, sending out a blast email is likely to cause more PR damage. This would cause a mild panic amongst the less informed, leading to Valve's support resources being much more saturated, leaving those who are actually affected waiting longer. It's not perfect, but the pros of not sending out that blast email outweigh the cons for everyone.

Moderator Action: As mentioned on the previous page of the thread, please do not call other members ignorant, and don't imply that they're idiots either.
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

Really? So the guy provides solid and meaningful information, spends loads of time to answer most of the sheep herd panic and all you've got to say is to infra him? Not even warning, but infraction?

Mod fail.

What is going on with moderators on CivFanatics these days?

Moderator Action:
Please refrain from public discussion of moderator action - if you have a beef with a particular action please take it up with the moderator in question in private, or if its not readily apparent who acted, pm a forum moderator about it. We are quite willing to accept and discuss any criticism about such actions in private, public discussion of moderator action however is strictly disallowed on this forum.

ori
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

 

[Wardancing]

I came to check out whats going on in Civ4 end of the forums, and saw this on the front page. I'm glad i stuck to my steam boycotte. Thanks for this information though, i will share it with clans from other games i play, they use this 'software'.

This is why automatic updates, for software, operating systems, and games, is bad. You dont know when that update stream gets hijacked, usually you find out after an 'automatic update' occurs.

As much as i hate steam, and want to say I told you so, i will instead say this:

I hope everyone here on civfanatics isnt seriously affected by this (in terms of credit card fraud etc), but i do hope this will make people stop and rethink this 'all eggs in one basket' approach to gaming in future purchaces.

Is there a steamless C5 for sale yet?

 

[Peets]

Why do some of you place steam in such a bad light?
It is not steam fault that Civ 5 is only on steam. Those who created the game wanted to do it.
Yes, companies want to make money but steam is not so evil as some of you subscribe them.
There are far more companies in the world that do much worse things to get your money.
At least when you buy a game on steam is will last forever, not if you buy a CD or something else. Everything goes broke and a lot of things are build to get broke faster then they normally would (Batteries for cellphone are an example).

First I was against Steam but then I found his advantages and I find the advantages overweights the disadvantages. I like it for three reasons:

1) Cheaper
2) Achievements
3) No cd required.

Yes, there is very small chance they can hack steam and steal my credit card but the chances that they steal my wallet on the street is much higher. Should I then stay home or always leave my card at home? Then why should I need a card?
Why do we need to overreact and live in fear?
Enjoy life, before you know it it is over.

 

[Peets]

I came to check out whats going on in Civ4 end of the forums, and saw this on the front page. I'm glad i stuck to my steam boycotte. Thanks for this information though, i will share it with clans from other games i play, they use this 'software'.

This is why automatic updates, for software, operating systems, and games, is bad. You dont know when that update stream gets hijacked, usually you find out after an 'automatic update' occurs.

As much as i hate steam, and want to say I told you so, i will instead say this:

I hope everyone here on civfanatics isnt seriously affected by this (in terms of credit card fraud etc), but i do hope this will make people stop and rethink this 'all eggs in one basket' approach to gaming in future purchaces.

Is there a steamless C5 for sale yet?

The chances that they will get access to the information they needed is smaller then getting hit on the streets.
And even if they do, I just go to the bank, get a new card and I lose nothing. The only thing I have to do is inform my bank and wait a few days for a new card. That will sure stop me from having fun

 

[Smokeybear]

The chances that they will get access to the information they needed is smaller then getting hit on the streets.
And even if they do, I just go to the bank, get a new card and I lose nothing. The only thing I have to do is inform my bank and wait a few days for a new card. That will sure stop me from having fun

Yeppers, at least it gave the Steam-haters a few moments of glory when they could shout out "AHAH! Yet another reason to hate! See? Didn't we'all tell ya it was devilspawn?!?"

Now, we just have to sit and wait for the millions of abused Steam users to come in and testify how they lost their life savings to the hackers, they've lost all their ability to access or play any Steam games since the hack, and how it has ultimately ruined their lives...

...........................good thing I brought a lawnchair...................... anyone bring hotdogs?

...........................they should be along any time now.....................

<crickets>

 

[Camikaze]

Moderator Action: Please refrain from grouping people into 'Steam fanboys' and 'Steam haters'. Discuss points raised without making sweeping generalisations about people you disagree with.