Valve recently revealed that more than 77,000 Steam accounts are hacked each month.

The pillaging is as old as Steam itself, although figures have jumped in the past few years. In a blog post on the Steam website, Valve indicated that instances of hacking ballooned close to 2,000 percent after the debut of Steam Trading in 2011.

The developer's solution thus far has been to replicate the stolen items, but this isn't an ideal fix, especially when the poached items are extremely rare. The company has since deemed the solution unacceptable. It has now taken steps to tighten security and close loopholes.

Valve said that it has improved how and when it notifies users that their accounts are at risk. It has also added a self-locking functionality and two-factor authentication system via Steam Guard. That being said, accounts are still being hacked, partly due to Steam users who are generally unaware of the new security features.

Another option Valve considered was abolishing trading completely. That solution would have been the quickest and easiest way to stifle hacking dramatically, but the developer eventually realized the move would've been bad for users.

Ultimately, Valve decided on implementing three key changes that would serve Steam best, as it pertains to hacking. The following changes have now been installed:

  • Anyone who lost items in a trade will require a Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator on their account and have trade confirmations turned on for a span of at least seven days. Otherwise, items will be withheld by Steam for a maximum of three days before delivery.
  • If you and your trade partner have been friends for at least a year, items will be withheld by Steam for a maximum of one day before delivery.
  • Steam accounts with a Mobile Authenticator turned on for at least seven days are no longer restrained from trading or using the Market when using a new device since transactions on the new device will be protected by the Mobile Authenticator.

Naturally, these preventive measures aren't fool-proof. Even Valve has admitted that fact. At any rate, the changes still have a tremendous impact on safe trading.

In other Valve news, the developer has added new features to the one-month-old Steam controller.

Per Polygon, the controller now has touch menu which lets users combine their hotkeys to a single interface. There's also upgraded gyro support that makes leaning easier in shooter-based games. The trackpad has been fitted with customizable mapping that optimizes navigating through complex menus.

Lastly, a new head-up display offers a better understanding on how to operate the gamepad. It flashes pop-ups informing users how button presses and other inputs affect gameplay.