Steam Guard (new security feature)

[Lenny]

When I checked the settings for my Steam account I found that Steam Guard was already enabled I'm guessing because I already had a verified email address (which is required for Steam Guard).

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_...__42&l=english

Question

* What is Steam Guard and how does it impact me?
* What do I need to do to take advantage of this additional layer of account security?
* Is there a limit to the number of machines that can be authorized at once?
* I need help! How do I contact Steam Support for assistance with account access once Steam Guard is enabled?
* Will Steam Guard prohibit me from logging into Steam on my PlayStation 3? What about partner sites that sign in through Steam?
* Does Steam Guard take advantage of the Intel® Identity Protection Technology solution that Valve and Intel recently announced?

Answer

What is Steam Guard and how does it impact me?

Steam Guard is an additional level of security that can be applied to your Steam account. The first level of security on your account is your login credentials: your Steam account name and password. With Steam Guard, a second level of security is applied to your account, making it harder for your Steam account to fall into the wrong hands.

When Steam Guard is enabled on your account, anyone attempting to login to your Steam account from an unrecognized computer must provide additional authorization. A special access code will be sent to your contact email address, and this code must be entered into Steam before your login is complete.

Once you've verified your email address with Steam, Steam Guard becomes available for your use. Once enabled, you will be required to access your email and provide the special access code from Steam Support when logging into Steam from any computer which we don't recognize.



What do I need to do to take advantage of this additional layer of account security?

1. Update Steam
Steam should automatically update itself but you can force it to update by clicking "Check for Steam Client Updates"
2. Be sure your contact email address is verified with Steam.
You must verify your contact email address with Steam. You can check whether your email address is already verified by visiting Steam Account Settings. A verified address will be marked as "Verified." To verify your email address, follow these instructions.
3. Restart Steam



That's it! With Steam Guard enabled, you will be asked to enter the special access code sent to your email address each time you login to Steam from an unrecognized computer.



Is there a limit to the number of machines that can be authorized at once?

No, there's no limit. Steam Guard is aimed to protect the value that is yours, not limit your access to your stuff. As always, you can access your Steam account and library from as many machines as you'd like.



I need help! How do I contact Steam Support for assistance with account access once Steam Guard is enabled?

Visit Steam Support and create your support account or login to your existing one if you've requested help from our support team in the past. Submit a question with "[Steam Guard]" in its Subject, categorized as "Account Questions" and then "Email Verification." If you have a retail CD Key or last four digits of your credit card as proof you're the account's rightful owner, please enter that too.



Will Steam Guard prohibit me from logging into Steam on my PlayStation 3? What about partner sites that sign in through Steam?

No, Steam Guard will not get in the way of your ability to access your Steam account through Portal 2 on the PS3, nor through partner sites that enable sign in via your Steam account credentials.



Does Steam Guard take advantage of the Intel® Identity Protection Technology solution that Valve and Intel recently announced?

No, not in the current release. We hope to offer additional forms of authentication soon though, so you'll have your choice of secondary authentication methods with Steam Guard.

[<RuReady>]

One way you can make sure is to log into your steam acct from another computer. I have 3 computers from which I login and each one required me to enter a code.
Note: It is a different code for each machine but you only need to do it once per machine.

[Lenny]

Nice to see they are making an effort to prevent account hacks.

[Activate: AMD]

Nice to see they are making an effort to prevent account hacks.

agreed, though its probably as much out of self-preservation as genuine concern for their users. I'm sure that dealing with stolen accounts costs them a non-trivial amount of money every year, not to mention the intangible lost income effects of disgruntled users.