Not too long ago, I wrote about keeping your Steam account secure. I also mentioned Steam Guard as a great way to add an additional layer of security to your account, because it makes you verify your login attempt via a code sent to your registered email address.
Should someone try to login from a different location and / or new hardware, they won’t be able to proceed unless they’re also lurking inside your mailbox.
You know how lots of malware scams will ask you to switch off your anti-virus before running the executable? Well, on a similar note you should always be cautious when a website asks you to do this:
“Steam Guard must be disabled to receive the game”
Disabling the guard feature, then sending your username and password – which are no longer protected – to a form submission on a random website?
What could possibly go wrong, apart from everything?
Never, ever do this and your Steam account will hopefully remain in your safe hands for the foreseeable future.
Most gaming platforms provide us with enough tools to keep our logins reasonably secure, but it’s up to us to ensure we keep using them. When websites ask you to kill some of these safeguards off, it’s always worth asking yourself what’s in it for them.
More often than not, the answer is “everything…”
Christopher Boyd
