Recent headlines have sparked concern regarding the supposed leak of over 89 million Steam user accounts. However, there’s no need to panic. Social media is rife with allegations that Steam login details are being sold on the dark web, yet these claims seem to be unfounded. Even if your personal information remains secure, it is advisable to enhance the security of your Steam account with extra authentication measures.

Details Surrounding the Steam Incident

In short, it seems that the situation might be overstated. As noted by XDA, a gaming journalist named MellowOnline1 brought to light a LinkedIn post from Underdark.ai, which claimed that 89 million records from Steam users were up for sale on a dark web forum for $5,000, allegedly linked to a threat actor known as Machine1337. MellowOnline1 speculated that the data breach did not originate from Valve Corporation—Steam’s parent company—but rather from Twilio, a service that facilitates two-factor authentication (2FA) through various methods such as SMS, voice calls, email, WhatsApp, passkeys, push notifications, and time-sensitive one-time passwords.

Further inquiries led to a statement from Bleeping Computer, where Twilio denied any involvement in an actual data breach. Additionally, based on an update from MellowOnline1, Valve clarified that it doesn’t utilize Twilio’s services. The alleged leaked data supposedly included SMS messages containing one-time Steam passcodes and associated phone numbers; however, Bleeping Computer was unable to verify the source or validate the accusation made by the alleged threat actor.

Recommended Actions for Steam Users

While the potential threat might not warrant alarm, it’s wise to ensure that your Steam account bolsters its security features. Users can update their passwords via the Settings or Preferences menu. Moreover, enabling the Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator is recommended, as this serves as the platform’s two-factor authentication. Remaining vigilant for any unauthorized login attempts and exercising caution with communications purporting to be from Steam support is essential, as these might be phishing schemes exploiting user anxiety.