Steam Guard has annoyed me

[nighthalk]

Let me get this straight, my spare summer sale 2016 trading cards are "valid" until 7/4/2016
I am stuck waiting 15 days to sell because I absolutely REFUSE to be required to spend ~200$? To get the required smartphone I do not need.
It is currently 6/27/2016. 7 days before it expires (8 if I’m lucky)

I LITERALLY cannot sell these 8 cent items because someone in their infinite wisdom decided that I (despite being logged in every day on the same PC for past several years) will not notice it, I cannot possibly be tech savvy enough to protect my PC from virus's, and that I would be upset at losing my 8 cent items. EVEN IF I paid 2000% more than my projected earnings selling these cards to have a proper phone, installed and registered my app. I cannot sell these cards because I must have been “guarded” for 15 days.
How does this make sense? This is practically the definition of an out of control bureaucracy. It is a set of policies and procedures built to stop the possibility of one event by accepting a far more common detrimental "annoyance".

As for the suggestions, I have 3-4 of them:

Why can’t normal trading cards be short or instant?
Why can’t all items below a certain market price be instant?
Why can’t items with a short validity time limit be instant?

Any one of those 3 would at least make this asinine system not have annoyed me.

I already have refused to buy from the market place when they first implemented it. The market place has nothing I need. To me there is no point because all it is good for is as a dumping ground for any of these trading cards so I can stock up a few bucks to buy a cheapo indie game once in a while. I would quite frankly be less annoyed right now if both the market place AND the trading card "gimmick" didn’t even exist (Yes I am the type of person annoyed by cash shops even if I don’t need to buy anything).

Another possible option would have been something like the "steam security app" built into the steam browser. By installing this app on the PC you agree that all sales from this PC are final (after it has been installed for 15 days). This app would have files locked to the particular PC so it being copied by malware is of no use. If for some reason the app is uninstalled or you get a new PC, the 15 day timer starts over for that pc (but the old one is still valid).

[Anya~]

Not sure what the rules are for linking people to 3rd party sites on this forum, but google "Andyroid" it's a free android "emulator" that should let you install and run a Steam mobile auth on your PC.

[nighthalk]

good for next time, doesnt solve the "15 day" issue for this sale though

[jon.e.burns]

I am currently going through the same hold situation...I have opened a ticket with support and expect steam to ultimately come back with a sorry we can't help you... I expect my only recourse will be to file a complaint with the FTC which may have an effect...or not.

Pretty sure the hold is for steam's convenience and safety not ours... If it was for our safety there would only be a hold if you are using a new computer, have just changed your email, or just changed your password. As it is I would go with this keeps steam from having to refund anything.

The minimum they would need to do is make the sale cards exempt from the hold...that is all.
I would prefer to be given an opt-in for the hold garbage.

[Darren]

More computer illiteracy. The malware won't steal the files to allow trading it will trigger the trades from your authorised PC. Hence you would get exactly zero protection from your idea.

Valve's security measure implemented with the authenticator are first-class anti-malware protection measures my company uses similar mechanisms to protect from intrusion.

The aim is to make it not worth organised crimes time reducing the people even trying.

Complain all you want Valve will have no lack of experts to explain why these measures protect you to the agencies you complain to.

[dat3ngy]

I strongly agree with you! Steam Guard is so flawed right now. I don't get why Valve doesn't let you opt out of this system. And the most screwed up thing is that they let you buy trading cards without needing Steam Guard but they won't let you sell them immidiately unless you have the mobile authenticator. They really need to figure out a way to fix this problem. I understand they are doing this just so your account can be secure but there's got to be a better way to do this that doesn't require a mobile phone.

[nighthalk]

How is it computer illiteracy?

If a computer is so far compromised to be basically a bot/VPN, what is to keep them from logging into your facebook and spamming virus links to everyone? To logging into amazon/newegg and ordering all sorts of stuff using express shipping. To log into paypal and sending transfers that way. Is virtual currency (only useable within steam) really the best one can do with that kind of access? fyi ALL of these actions are quite noticeable if the owner of the computer happens to be watching the screen it when the bot tries to initiate the trades.

What I am asserting is that due to the lack of ‘news’ stories about it, these things DONT happen constantly, that all that happens is someone is drive by hijacked from a leaked password, which is then used by some russian VPN for a quick logon. This supports the theory that it is a simply either a keylogger or a compromised website which managing to borrow some credentials. I’m not saying it is impossible, I am just saying it is extremely rare.

What is more likely to happen with a bot/VPN, is that those bots become part of a DDOS or bitcoin mining swarm. Why risk losing your botnet sending facebook spam or buying from newegg, when you can mine real bitcoins for possibly years without leaving any noticeable symptoms on the poor saps computer. Untraceable and the money is irrevocable no matter how much money/legal/police power you throw at the problem.

That being said, a per PC session file would stop a keylogger AND a website hijack in its tracks, while being virtually invisible to the user (if its done right, there are no additional hoops to jump through).

As a side note, what’s to stop a bot from using your steam wallet to buy a game as a gift, add a 1 shot selling account to the friends list, gifting the game to that fake friend, and then selling the game via a cd key selling site such as kinguin? This entirely avoids the marketplace delays. It still gives person who compromised your account some money, AND is doable remotely without needing the cellphone. Its only flaw is you have to be able to sell it before the owner of the card attached to the wallet noticed it has been used and revokes the charge/gift (possibly getting himself banned?).

[76561198001062896]

Originalmente postado por jon.e.burns:

I am currently going through the same hold situation...I have opened a ticket with support and expect steam to ultimately come back with a sorry we can't help you... I expect my only recourse will be to file a complaint with the FTC which may have an effect...or not.

Pretty sure the hold is for steam's convenience and safety not ours... If it was for our safety there would only be a hold if you are using a new computer, have just changed your email, or just changed your password. As it is I would go with this keeps steam from having to refund anything.

The minimum they would need to do is make the sale cards exempt from the hold...that is all.
I would prefer to be given an opt-in for the hold garbage.

Yeah im sure FTC will help you fixing
with your non existing consumer rights to use the ccommunity market.

[Darren]

The fact that other systems aren't using first-class security is their problem. They will eventually be the target.

However PayPal and banks are less a target because their is an invisible several day delays during the transfers and agreements allowing reversal in the case of fraud which prevents profit under most conditions. Steam doesn't have an equivalent arrangement to unwind fraudulent transactions preferring this method instead.

Every malware has a target there are ones that do bitcoin mining (as they think it makes them the most for the effort they used), others steal credit card details, still others are aimed at Steam inventories.

Facebook attacks are more for spreading and tends to expose your malware so it is usually the last thing it does.