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Gamers beware: malicious wallpapers on Steam found stealing accounts

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Re: Gamers beware: malicious wallpapers on Steam found stealing accounts

#21

Post by raincole »

beart wrote: post #2

So this vulnerability isn't directly the result of using Steam, or any of the Steam profile customizations, such as avatars and profile page backgrounds. But rather, it is a vulnerability in a third-party application "Wallpaper Engine" which is available on Steam. I recall when screen savers were a common malware vector on Windows. I suppose everything old is new again.

It's not completely unrelated to Steam though. The malicious code is delivered by Steam Workshops. It might or might not be justified to put 'Steam' on the title, but it's par on HN standards (people always put 'npm' on the titles when there is a supply chain issue.)

Re: Gamers beware: malicious wallpapers on Steam found stealing accounts

#22

Post by Xirdus »

vel0city wrote: post #16
mrguyorama wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>This is also why sexual imagery should generally be kept out of public spaces, not because of "puritanism" but because it just generally isn't a good idea to go around letting bad actors inhibiting people's executive function willy-nilly Okay but presumeably humans adapt to the level of "sexuality" around them to some degree (like they do nearly every other stimulus), because otherwise you could show less prude cult…

Note the above commenter specifically used the language "sexual imagery" and not "nudity". As you point out, what can be considered "sexual imagery" can vary somewhat based on the cultural norms of the society.

Somewhat? The variance is off the charts. Without even going to the extremes of casual nudism vs burka, there are cultures where wearing hair down is seen as sexual, and there are cultures were twerking is child appropriate.

Re: Gamers beware: malicious wallpapers on Steam found stealing accounts

#23

Post by tsol »

_--__--__ wrote: post #20
wnevets wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you need an "Engine" for wallpapers in the first place?

The 'wallpapers' in question are pirated games made in renpy (python game engine) or rpgmaker (js based), which makes them a really good vector for malware. As another commenter noted this is a bizarrely common way for Chinese people to get porn through the great firewall.

Why would that be the only way to get porn that they don't crack down on?

Re: Gamers beware: malicious wallpapers on Steam found stealing accounts

#24

Post by xeyownt »

jerf wrote: post #6
jjmarr wrote: post #4

I love how the post is clearly written by AI. A human might've noticed all the screenshots appear to be of interactive hentai games distributed through Wallpaper Engine. And wouldn't have said: > On the surface, this wallpaper sample (above) we uncovered in December 2025 looks completely harmless. In reference to a screenshot of an anime woman with ripped clothes, eyes in fear, being monitored by CCTV camera. From my…

Sexual arousal also tends to inhibit rational thought. I don't mean that in a snarky or sarcastic way, I mean that it is a biological process that has been well-studied and well-established [1]. This has obvious uses for scamming people and doing other things that their executive function might normally catch and prevent. This is also why sexual imagery should generally be kept out of public spaces, not because of "p…

Why would seeing sexual imagery make you less rational? That doesn't make sense.

The study you mention say the people were already in an arousal state (that they had to induce themselves). It's very different from seeing images that you may simply ignore, evaluate differently, etc.

Also, there is the bias that if people are looking for such images (because they really want them), they are probably more willing to drop recommended practices, and hence make irrational moves. So irrationality doesn't come from seeing the images at the first place, but from their willingness to find / see such images.

Re: Gamers beware: malicious wallpapers on Steam found stealing accounts

#25

Post by ASalazarMX »

beart wrote: post #2

So this vulnerability isn't directly the result of using Steam, or any of the Steam profile customizations, such as avatars and profile page backgrounds. But rather, it is a vulnerability in a third-party application "Wallpaper Engine" which is available on Steam. I recall when screen savers were a common malware vector on Windows. I suppose everything old is new again.

I'm still waiting for the new generations to rediscover screen savers.

Re: Gamers beware: malicious wallpapers on Steam found stealing accounts

#26

Post by subscribed »

mrguyorama wrote: post #10
jerf wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sexual arousal also tends to inhibit rational thought. I don't mean that in a snarky or sarcastic way, I mean that it is a biological process that has been well-studied and well-established [1]. This has obvious uses for scamming people and doing other things that their executive function might normally catch and prevent. This is also why sexual imagery should generally be kept out of public spaces, not because of "p…

>This is also why sexual imagery should generally be kept out of public spaces, not because of "puritanism" but because it just generally isn't a good idea to go around letting bad actors inhibiting people's executive function willy-nilly Okay but presumeably humans adapt to the level of "sexuality" around them to some degree (like they do nearly every other stimulus), because otherwise you could show less prude cult…

Nudity is not inherently sexual, unless your decide to call all the nudist families and communities perverts and child molesters.

But I assume you grew in the culture where all nudity has been fetishised, so you accidentally conflate these two.

Re: Gamers beware: malicious wallpapers on Steam found stealing accounts

#27

Post by wincy »

wnevets wrote: post #9
beart wrote: post #2

So this vulnerability isn't directly the result of using Steam, or any of the Steam profile customizations, such as avatars and profile page backgrounds. But rather, it is a vulnerability in a third-party application "Wallpaper Engine" which is available on Steam. I recall when screen savers were a common malware vector on Windows. I suppose everything old is new again.

Why do you need an "Engine" for wallpapers in the first place?

I use them because they look nice and with an OLED I wanted a dynamic wallpaper so I wouldn’t get screen burn in. There is adult stuff but everything I use is just video games and matrix scrolling patterns, that kind of stuff, so I can tell my monitor is on without getting burn in. I’ve got a high end desktop so can take the minor performance hit running it all the time.

Unfortunately seems like I’m going to be uninstalling it.

Re: Gamers beware: malicious wallpapers on Steam found stealing accounts

#28

Post by gchamonlive »

wccrawford wrote: post #18
gchamonlive wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Irrelevant comment, op said "this vulnerability isn't directly the result of using Steam", not that steam doesn't share responsibility

It said they are "on Steam" which is true. They are distributed through the Steam Workshop, which Valve runs and attempts to protect from abuse. While it's not as high-profile as the official profile backgrounds and avatars, it's still in an area that most gamers would think was safe by default, since Valve moderates it.

It's true, just irrelevant
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