**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
**VALVE CORPORATION ANNOUNCES MANDATORY FIRMWARE UPDATE FOR STEAM DECK; CITES CRITICAL SECURITY VULNERABILITY**
**SEATTLE, WA –** Valve Corporation has issued a mandatory firmware update for all Steam Deck units worldwide, effective immediately, following the discovery of a critical security vulnerability affecting the handheld gaming device.
**Who:** Valve Corporation, developer and manufacturer of the Steam Deck.
**What:** The company has released a mandatory firmware update designed to patch a previously undisclosed security flaw. The update is required to be installed before users can access SteamOS, the device's operating system, or any installed game library.
**When:** The update began rolling out at 09:00 AM Pacific Standard Time today. Users are required to install the patch before the next system boot.
**Where:** The vulnerability and subsequent patch affect all models of the Steam Deck—including the 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB editions—regardless of regional market.
**Why:** Valve engineers identified a "high-severity" exploit that, in specific network configurations, could allow unauthorized remote access to a user’s device and personal account data. The company confirmed no instances of the exploit have been publicly reported or leveraged in active attacks. The update is a precautionary measure to ensure device integrity.
**How:** Users will receive a prompt upon the next power-up. The mandatory update, approximately 1.2 GB in size, must be fully downloaded and installed, requiring a stable internet connection and a temporary suspension of all gaming operations. Attempting to bypass the update will lock the device in a restricted recovery mode.
Valve Corporation has advised all owners to complete the update as soon as possible and has posted detailed instructions on the official Steam Support platform.