In 2009, 32 million passwords appeared for sale on the dark canvas, of which 14 million were unique passwords. This leak was known as “RockYou” and was one of the largest password leaks in history at the time. The file consisted of a single .txt that was 134MB in size, and it seemed unlikely that a hack of this magnitude would happen again.
Good. In 2021, a new version of RockYou – known as RockYou2021 – left the world speechless by releasing a 100GB file with a total of 8.4 billion leaked passwords: 262 times more than the previous RockYou . These passwords included millions of passwords for social networks, e-commerce platforms, emails or streaming platforms, among others.
However, not all passwords presented the same value to hackers, as many of these accounts were of very little value. Others, on the other hand, are particularly sought after on the dark web, in particular those of platforms like Amazon, in particular “juicy” social profiles – according to their notoriety or their millions of followers -, and those of gamers on platforms like Steam, Twitch and multiple online video games.
Why do hackers want your game accounts?
Each type of account is different and hackers attempt to break into them for different reasons. Some of the most sought after accounts are:
- Steam Accounts. Steam accounts usually have one or more linked payment methods that have been previously verified by Steam itself. By hacking into such an account, hackers can use this payment method to buy game keys which they can then resell. sites like CDKeys, ENEBA or G2A. For this reason, it is advisable to avoid these types of “shady” key buying platforms.
- Gog, Epic Games and Origin accounts. Something similar happens with accounts from other online stores such as Gog or Epic Games. Even Origin accounts are of some interest to hackers, as they can sometimes be linked to payment methods that can be hacked to make purchases both inside and outside of them.
- Twitch Accounts. Twitch accounts can be very desirable not only because of the large number of subscribers some of them have, but also because they receive payments in the form of donations which can fall into the hands of hackers if the theft of the account is not reported in time.
- Battle.net Accounts. Blizzard games move a lot of money in the form of weapons and other legendary items that can be of great interest to hackers. Buying and selling WoW accounts or game items can be extremely lucrative.
- nintendo accounts. Nintendo Accounts can move a lot of money on consoles like the Nintendo Switch, especially considering the high price of their games. This leads hackers to try to exploit them to buy games and other additional items from Nintendo and then sell them to the highest bidder.
Protecting your gaming accounts is more important than ever
As you can see, your online gaming accounts have extraordinary value that hackers value in a special way. Many hackers are also gamers and know in detail how important these online accounts can be. This is why it is essential to protect them by adopting appropriate cybersecurity measures, including:
- Use complex passwords. Complex and strong passwords should be standard not only for your gaming accounts, but for all of your online accounts. If you use too simple passwords or reuse the same password in all your accounts, you make it very easy for hackers.
- Enable two-factor authentication. Two-Step Verification is available on Steam and most gaming platforms. Enable it to receive verification codes in your email or on your smartphone, which will increase the security of your digital accounts.
- Use prepaid credit cards. if you only use prepaid cards on Steam, Epic Games, Twitch or Gog, your money will be kept safe even if a hacker manages to break into your accounts. Keeping online shopping with your card disabled by default will also help.
- Change your passwords regularly. If you use the same password for a long time, sooner or later it may end up getting leaked without you realizing it. One way to prevent it from being hacked is to modify it from time to time, so that even if it leaks, it can be rendered useless soon after.
