Valve has announced a new Steam and Steamworks feature called Steam Guard. Steam Guard gives increased Steam account security by enabling users to link management of their account to a specific PC so that attempts to modify or change account settings by any other PC won’t be possible without the user’s approval. Steam Guard will take advantage of upcoming Intel Identity Protection Technology (Intel IPT), an encrypted, hardware-based feature available with the new 2nd Generation Intel CoreT and Intel CoreT vProT processors. IPT generates a new numerical password every 30 seconds, integrating into the processor functionality that previously required a separate card or key fob. Users will also be notified if any PCs other than those authorized by them attempt to log into or modify their account settings.

‘Account phishing and hijacking are our #1 support issues,’ said Gabe Newell, President of Valve. ‘With Intel’s IPT and Steam Guard, we’ve taken a big step towards giving customers the account security they need as they purchase more and more digital goods.’

‘With over 30 million accounts worldwide, Steam is an ideal platform for Intel IPT,’ said George Thangadurai, General Manager of PC Client Services at Intel. ‘Those running Steam are investing in a robust digital collection of PC games. By adding hardware-based protection to these investments, we hope to bolster the amazing success of platforms such as Steam.’

Steam Guard is available to third parties to incorporate into their own applications through Steamworks.