[UPDATE]Total Biscuit tears Valve a new one over Christnas Day, Valve post a statement!

[Master Disaster]

Update 1

So 3 hours after TB released his video Valve posts an official statement. Coincidence?

We'd like to follow up with more information regarding Steam's troubled Christmas.

What happened

On December 25th, a configuration error resulted in some users seeing Steam Store pages generated for other users. Between 11:50 PST and 13:20 PST store page requests for about 34k users, which contained sensitive personal information, may have been returned and seen by other users.

The content of these requests varied by page, but some pages included a Steam user’s billing address, the last four digits of their Steam Guard phone number, their purchase history, the last two digits of their credit card number, and/or their email address. These cached requests did not include full credit card numbers, user passwords, or enough data to allow logging in as or completing a transaction as another user.

If you did not browse a Steam Store page with your personal information (such as your account page or a checkout page) in this time frame, that information could not have been shown to another user.

Valve is currently working with our web caching partner to identify users whose information was served to other users, and will be contacting those affected once they have been identified. As no unauthorized actions were allowed on accounts beyond the viewing of cached page information, no additional action is required by users.

How it happened

Early Christmas morning (Pacific Standard Time), the Steam Store was the target of a DoS attack which prevented the serving of store pages to users. Attacks against the Steam Store, and Steam in general, are a regular occurrence that Valve handles both directly and with the help of partner companies, and typically do not impact Steam users. During the Christmas attack, traffic to the Steam store increased 2000% over the average traffic during the Steam Sale.

In response to this specific attack, caching rules managed by a Steam web caching partner were deployed in order to both minimize the impact on Steam Store servers and continue to route legitimate user traffic. During the second wave of this attack, a second caching configuration was deployed that incorrectly cached web traffic for authenticated users. This configuration error resulted in some users seeing Steam Store responses which were generated for other users. Incorrect Store responses varied from users seeing the front page of the Store displayed in the wrong language, to seeing the account page of another user.

Once this error was identified, the Steam Store was shut down and a new caching configuration was deployed. The Steam Store remained down until we had reviewed all caching configurations, and we received confirmation that the latest configurations had been deployed to all partner servers and that all cached data on edge servers had been purged.

We will continue to work with our web caching partner to identify affected users and to improve the process used to set caching rules going forward. We apologize to everyone whose personal information was exposed by this error, and for interruption of Steam Store service.

So an apology. It's amazing how TB only has to look at these big corporations in a certain way and they run and hide.

Original Post

As I'm sure you all aware Valve did the wonder blunder on Christmas day and gave everyone eyes on to other users accounts for around 90 minutes.

Now I for one was pretty pissed, through a set of circumstances it was possible for users to view full email addresses and phone numbers, I know because I actually got an email from someone saying they'd seen my account and had my number, they even included some of the numbers in the address to prove it. Luckily the guy was ok and was playing a prank to try and scare me (which actually worked) but if it happened to me then it happened to others too.

I've been pretty pissed off that Valve haven't even said anything about it, let alone apologised. Well as it happens I'm not the only one, total biscuit just posted a video calling Valve out.

Now he basically says that a billion dollar company cannot continue to be run in the way it is and it's time for a change at Valve HQ, the lack of customer support is a joke and they have to fix it.

I would agree.

Thoughts?

[Guest]

 

 

I've been pretty pissed of that Valve haven't even said anything about it, let alone apologised. Well as it happens I'm not the only one, tital biscuit just posted a video calling Valve out.

fix that please >.<

[Master Disaster]

fix that please >.<

Already have

[thekeemo]

Nothing will happen about since the law let's them get away with it and there is no real competition.

[Guest Kloaked]

inb4 "BUT MUH PEE CEE MASTUR RAISSS!!!!"

 

I'm not disregarding the PCMR people who actually look at things objectively and take the PCMR thing as what it is, a joke. I'm talking about all of the armchair warriors who take it seriously.

[KingKeith55]

Also, not to mention their servers randomly going down on normal days in the middle of when a ton of people are online in game, and also the terrible game updates. Did you see CS:GO's revolver update? Did they not test it beforehand or something? Sounds like they just made sure the code ran and pushed it online asap with no gameplay tests. I mean, that revolver thing was pretty fun and stupid to be honest, but it's unacceptable how a company can be so unprofessional and let stuff like this constantly slide. In fact, Treyarch is a lot better than them. Yeah, that's right. One of the CoD developers.

 

Also all their in-game "nerfs" and "balanaces" and "buffs" are nonsense, half the time they were fine the way they were before with less complaint, and when they "balance" them they just end up unbalancing the whole game and cause lots of complaint. 

 

I hope they start taking more responsibility for their screw-ups though. It's partially because valve has no structure to it's company at all.

 

As I said before, Valve no longer lives up to the amazing reputation they built up years ago. People expect more of them as a result.

[ivan134]

Also, not to mention their servers randomly going down on normal days in the middle of when a ton of people are online in game, and also the terrible game updates. Did you see CS:GO's revolver update? Did they not test it beforehand or something? Sounds like they just made sure the code ran and pushed it online asap with no gameplay tests.

Also all their in-game "nerfs" and "balanaces" and "buffs" are nonsense, half the time they were fine the way they were before with less complaint, and when they "balance" them they just end up unbalancing the whole game and cause lots of complaint.

I hope they start taking more responsibility for their screw-ups though. It's partially because valve has no structure to it's company at all.

And they have no structure because there is no competition.

[DXMember]

 

I've never understood why people praise valve, it's bull DRM and it's bull client

[Guest Kloaked]

Also, not to mention their servers randomly going down on normal days in the middle of when a ton of people are online in game, and also the terrible game updates. Did you see CS:GO's revolver update? Did they not test it beforehand or something? Sounds like they just made sure the code ran and pushed it online asap with no gameplay tests. I mean, that revolver thing was pretty fun and stupid to be honest, but it's unacceptable how a company can be so unprofessional and let stuff like this constantly slide. In fact, Treyarch is a lot better than them. Yeah, that's right. One of the CoD developers.

 

Also all their in-game "nerfs" and "balanaces" and "buffs" are nonsense, half the time they were fine the way they were before with less complaint, and when they "balance" them they just end up unbalancing the whole game and cause lots of complaint. 

 

I hope they start taking more responsibility for their screw-ups though. It's partially because valve has no structure to it's company at all.

 

Yet I was having an argument with someone about Valve being inferior to even EA's Origin service. lol

[KingKeith55]

Yet I was having an argument with someone about Valve being inferior to even EA's Origin service. lol

People kept misunderstanding that. I was talking about support and user experience wise. (basically I didn't feel like I was thrown under the bus all the time). Also am I the only one who wonders why Valve doesn't have backup servers while their main ones are under maintenance? I know just about every other service has backup servers for this purpose.

 

But people can't read for some reason, so who am I to blame? The reader? Me for assuming what happened wouldn't? 

 

Steam is only superior because they have no competition, they have far more titles and publicity than any other DRM Service.

[Master Disaster]

And they have no structure because there is no competition.

They have no structure because Gabe hated having a boss while he was with Microsoft.

When he started Valve he insisted that no one is anybody else's boss and almost 20 years later he still follows that mantra.

[Lewellyn]

Call them out on what? An unforeseen caching error? That's what sparked this, not the years of shitty, deplorable customer service?

 

Also, I swear to god every time I see someone call them a monopoly I lose some brain cells.

[Nexxus]

Call them out on what? An unforeseen caching error? That's what sparked this, not the years of shitty, deplorable customer service?

 

Also, I swear to god every time I see someone call them a monopoly I lose some brain cells.

I think everyone and their mom knows they are not a technical monopoly. 

 

That being said they are near enough to being one.

[Guest Kloaked]

People kept misunderstanding that. I was talking about support and user experience wise. (basically I didn't feel like I was thrown under the bus all the time). Also am I the only one who wonders why Valve doesn't have backup servers while their main ones are under maintenance? I know just about every other service has backup servers for this purpose.

 

But people can't read for some reason, so who am I to blame? The reader? Me for assuming what happened wouldn't? 

 

Steam is only superior because they have no competition, they have far more titles and publicity than any other DRM Service.

 

Yet almost everyone I know, and tons more people that I don't have more games in their library than they actually play on Steam. I don't see what having more titles has to do with anything when people don't even play them, yet they'll pre-order Fallout 4 at the drop of a hat despite the game being obviously bug-ridden and writing it off as "Well it's just Bethesda".

 

Is this also "just Valve" in this case? Obviously not, since you seem to disagree with the things Valve is doing; yet somehow you're still saying Steam is a superior service while EA has provided a refund system for EA titles since way before Valve ever offered one, EA actually has a customer support staff that you can connect to during open hours, and so on.

 

Valve has nothing to stand on anymore.

 

But praise GabeN right?

[Master Disaster]

Call them out on what? An unforeseen caching error? That's what sparked this, not the years of shitty, deplorable customer service?

Also, I swear to god every time I see someone call them a monopoly I lose some brain cells.

If you watch the video he makes it very clear Xmas day is just the straw which broke the camels back and Valves customer support has been way way beliw par for a very very long time.

And he's called them out on not even issuing an official statement on the Steam Client, let alone actually apologising for failing their duty of care to their customers.

[KingKeith55]

They have no structure because Gabe hated having a boss while he was with Microsoft.

When he started Valve he insisted that no one is anybody else's boss and almost 20 years later he still follows that mantra.

Back when Valve was a small company, sure it probably worked great. But now with the sheer size of them and amount of employees, it just doesn't work anymore.

 

I think Gabe's getting a little too old for his job. He's out of his mind.

[ivan134]

They have no structure because Gabe hated having a boss while he was with Microsoft.

When he started Valve he insisted that no one is anybody else's boss and almost 20 years later he still follows that mantra.

None of that would matter if there was actually competition doing a better job and making them lose customers. They would be forced to re-evaluate what they're doing wrong. With no competition, they do whatever the fuck they want. What are you going to do? Go back to consoles? GOG is a pretty good up and coming platform, but gamers have proven numerous times that they're bad at voting with their wallet.

[Guest Kloaked]

Call them out on what? An unforeseen caching error? That's what sparked this, not the years of shitty, deplorable customer service?

 

Also, I swear to god every time I see someone call them a monopoly I lose some brain cells.

 

TB has put Valve on blast before for their poor customer service multiple times in the past, but this cache issue seems to be the last straw for him personally.

 

I don't know why everyone else is just now waking up to the tune that Valve doesn't care about it's customers.

[Master Disaster]

None of that would matter if there was actually competition doing a better job and making them lose customers. They would be forced to re-evaluate what they're doing wrong. With no competition, they do whatever the fuck they want. What are you going to do? Go back to consoles? GOG is a pretty good up and coming platform, but gamers have proven numerous times that they're bad at voting with their wallet.

Agreed, this and the fact the die hard steam fan boys just can't see any wrong in anything they do.

[KingKeith55]

Yet almost everyone I know, and tons more people that I don't have more games in their library than they actually play on Steam. I don't see what having more titles has to do with anything when people don't even play them, yet they'll pre-order Fallout 4 at the drop of a hat despite the game being obviously bug-ridden and writing it off as "Well it's just Bethesda".

 

Is this also "just Valve" in this case? Obviously not, since you seem to disagree with the things Valve is doing; yet somehow you're still saying Steam is a superior service while EA has provided a refund system for EA titles since way before Valve ever offered one, EA actually has a customer support staff that you can connect to during open hours, and so on.

 

Valve has nothing to stand on anymore.

 

But praise GabeN right?

I think you misunderstand AGAIN.

 

I said that Steam has far more titles and publicity

 

Far more titles = Far more games that they have that the other service doesn't.

 

And as for more titles, I can think of many times when there's a game I really want on steam that's not on origin. The only games that origin has that steam doesn't are EA games, which most aren't even that great as of late.

 

That fact alone is enough to render steam superior because of how many more titles steam actually has that origin doesn't. Im not one of those people that has tons of money to throw at a broken game or just buy random games I don't play either. I only buy a game if im going to play it.

[Albatross]

He's right.

 

Especially about support. It is unacceptable that their support is as terrible as it is.

 

 

Call them out on what? An unforeseen caching error? That's what sparked this, not the years of shitty, deplorable customer service?

 

Also, I swear to god every time I see someone call them a monopoly I lose some brain cells.

 

That "caching error" revealed sensitive information of people and shouldn't have been able to happen in the first place. You say it like it isn't a bad thing, like it isn't reasonable to be upset about it.
 

[AresKrieger]

Meh I honestly don't care as I use steam only for games that I've acquired for free (so my info is fake), or bundled with hardware, I actually prefer origin to steam, but if you want no drm BS GOG is the way to go. CD projekt red is the only games studio that actually seems to appreciate their customers imo.

 

 

 

I don't know why everyone else is just now waking up to the tune that Valve doesn't care about it's customers.

 

I agree, I think people are just blinded by stupidity or liking their games bias @Kloaked

[TetraSky]

Yes, valve screwed up. But does it really matter?

It didn't leak to some hacking group that is out to get your info and will use it against you. It was "leaked" to random nobodies, just ordinary people who will more than likely not even do anything with any of that info and probably didn't save it either.

 

Should it have happened? No of course not. But this is still nothing really bad when you think about it.

[Master Disaster]

He's right.

 

Especially about support. It is unacceptable that their support is as terrible as it is.

 

 

 

That "caching error" revealed sensitive information of people and shouldn't have been able to happen in the first place. You say it like it isn't a bad thing, like it isn't reasonable to be upset about it.

And he makes the point that what they did is actually illegal under UK law.

Class action suit anyone? I'm up for waiting 5 years for £10 /jk

[Guest Kloaked]

Yes, valve screwed up. But does it really matter?

It didn't leak to some hacking group that is out to get your info and will use it against you. It was "leaked" to random nobodies, just ordinary people who will more than likely not even do anything with any of that info and probably didn't save it either.

 

Should it have happened? No of course not. But this is still nothing really bad when you think about it.

 

Yes, it is bad. You just don't understand exactly how bad this is.