What really does itch.io or Steam offer in the way of protection if a developer wants to be malicious anyway?
It's even worse than that actually. Steam seems to have no problem with apps or games that require elevated/admin/root permissions to run, while at the same time a lack of code signing on those executables, even if the permissions on the file/folder allow modification by any user on the operating system. Some games carry recommendations by the developers, support, or the communities themselves to open up those permissions or run the game as an administrator, to "fix the problem". If you dare raise a concern, you'll be heckled and mocked.
The carelessness around security is pervasive in the gaming community and Steam isn't helping the situation, likely because it would be bad for revenue.
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It's even worse than that actually. Steam seems to have no problem with apps or games that require elevated/admin/root permissions to run, while at the same time a lack of code signing on those executables, even if the permissions on the file/folder allow modification by any user on the operating system. Some games carry recommendations by the developers, support, or the communities themselves to open up those permissions or run the game as an administrator, to "fix the problem". If you dare raise a concern, you'll be heckled and mocked.
The carelessness around security is pervasive in the gaming community and Steam isn't helping the situation, likely because it would be bad for revenue.