Steam Guard is now Beta

Valve has rolled out a new security service for Steam users who want to protect their accounts from unauthorized logins or being stolen outright. Steam Guard is available for beta testing and anyone can opt into it through Steam's Settings panel. With Steam Guard, an extra step of authorization is needed whenever you attempt to login to your account from an unrecognized PC. A code is sent over to the e-mail address linked to the account, which must be entered into Steam before you're able to login and authorize the new PC. Steam Guard will also notify you if there are login attempts being made from unauthorized PCs.

Steam - As a beta participant, once you've verified your email address with Steam, Steam Guard becomes available for your use and is enabled for your Steam account by default.

With Steam Guard enabled, anyone attempting to login as you from an unrecognized computer must first provide additional, one-time authorization. A special access code will be sent to your contact email address, and this code must be entered into Steam before your first login on an unfamiliar computer is complete. You will also be notified if any login attempts from computers other than those you've authorized occur. Steam Guard essentially acts as a form of "User Rights Management," where you as the user have greater control over access to your stuff.

"Account phishing and hijacking are our top support issues," said Gabe Newell, President of Valve. "With Steam Guard, we've taken a big step towards giving customers the account security they need as they purchase more and more digital goods."

Gabe demonstrated further development of Steam Guard today at the CeBIT computing trade show in Hannover, Germany. In addition to email-based authentication, Steam Guard will soon offer other forms of secondary authentication, such as Intel