Steam (service): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:24, 15 December 2006

Revision as of 23:28, 15 December 2006

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Many hacks sprang up following ''Half-Life 2's'' launch, each claiming to be able to circumvent Steam and enable the user to get the games for free. Many were actually [[Trojan horse (computing)|trojans]], [[keyloggers]], or [[computer virus|viruses]]. Some were genuine, but Valve, realizing the advant complaints about hacks being used, released server-side fixes to prevent users who had not paid for the software from playing online and disabled accounts using them whenever possible. It is still possible to circumvent Steam's authentication process and download some of the games listed on Steam for free using various [[warez]] programs. A re-write of the client user ticket authentication system successfully stopped illegitimate users from playing any Steam games on online servers.

*On [[December 15]] [[20062005]] Valve warned its customers that, having fixed the security holes that allowed several 'Steam hacks' to function, their creators had added code to steal legitimate account information instead [http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=267303#post3964851]. They also warned of cheat distributors bundling keyloggers with their supposedly undetectable cheats.

*Servers can sometimes (the situation frequently changes) be modified to allow illegitimate and legitimate users to play alongside each other. These servers are able to use VAC and other anti-cheat tools to ban cheaters, but naturally the schemes are not effective in an environment where new identities can be created instantly and freely.

*When the Steam's authentication servers are off-line (for instance during maintenance) illegitimate users can play on legitimate servers.