Steam Security Risk: Protect Your PC – 4 Steps

Although it is not something common on the platform, Steam can store games that contain a series of malware For various purposes, we are not only talking about those that can focus on spying on users but also others that steal credentials and so on. It is for this same reason that more and more users are wondering how this can happen, and although Valve has a series of security mechanisms to prevent this, they are not completely infallible. Some programs that contain malicious code manage to avoid these systems by presenting themselves as legitimate in the application store, so we are going to tell you what you can do to find out if a game is infected with malware or not.

What to do to avoid games with malware on Steam

The games that are released on the various platforms on the market are usually legitimate, we found that very few contain code that can affect the security and privacy of the user. But of all the digital stores, the most susceptible to this type of attack is Steamnot only because it is the largest in the world but also because of the publication criteria it follows. This implies that among the thousands of games that are released each week, it is possible that one has managed to pass the filters that Valve applies to avoid malware, leaving users exposed.

To prevent this from happening, there are a series of steps that players can follow when downloading new games:

• Check developer reputation: One of the first aspects to take into account is knowing if the developer who created the game has any type of additional content. It doesn’t have to be other games, but locating social networks and announcements about the launch is a step that provides additional veracity about the content.
• Use an antivirus that has real-time database verification: To prevent malware from affecting the security of a computer if the game is run accidentally, it is best to use an antivirus that checks the hash of the executed programs in real time. This allows blocking the execution of those with a low reputation.
• Explore user comments: Within Steam comments we can find out if it has any type of malware or spyware. Users often alert other players about their presence. At the same time, you must be careful since game reviews may be generated by bots, making them lose veracity, so it is advisable to doubt in all cases.
• Check the files included in the game: Being one of the most advanced steps we can do, one of the most reliable practices is to check the game files. Deleting the executable file to avoid starting it by mistake (it can then be restored) and checking all those files that may seem suspicious is a good technique to locate malware. Once a strange document is located, the user can use pages like VirusTotal to find out if it is legitimate or not.

These are the most important guidelines to follow when downloading a game that does not belong to a recognized developer or publisher in the world. Steamto avoid problems with credential theft and so on. It is worth remembering that the platform also has a series of security settings that you can activate to improve the protection of your account, such as 2FA, limiting chat messages and more.

Real cases: when malware sneaked into Steam

Although the platform is mostly safe, theory becomes reality with documented cases. In 2025, games like PirateFi y Block Blasters They were removed after they were discovered to contain Trojans designed to steal credentials and cryptocurrency wallets. According to Kaspersky cybersecurity reports, the ‘Howard.exe‘ executable present in one of these games affected more than 1,500 users before being neutralized. These incidents underscore the importance of not letting our guard down.