Steam boss Gabe Newell believes in the security of the gaming platform. To prove this, he published his Steam account login information in 2011. He’s been waiting to be hacked ever since.
To use the Steam gaming platform you need an account. This account can become very valuable as the number of games purchased grows.
This makes it all the more important to protect your library from hackers and account thieves. Steam operator Valve offers several protection options for this.
Steam boss Gabe Newell is very convinced of these protection mechanisms and wanted to prove how safe they are. That’s why he revealed his Steam account login information.
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Gabe Newell revealed his Steam account details
What did Gabe Newell do? During an Intel event at Cebit in 2011, the head of Steam took the stage. In front of the audience, he entered the login details for his Steam account on a computer.
The screen content was displayed on a large screen so everyone could clearly see their username. He also revealed the password he had typed and encouraged viewers to hack his account and steal it from him.
By the way, Newell’s password is not particularly long or complex. But you can find even worse passwords here – hopefully yours isn’t there.
Why did he do that? Revealing his credentials was a planned action by Gabe Newell. With the knowledge of his username and password, he wanted to demonstrate how secure Steam accounts are against theft.
Newell took this moment to present the new security system Steam Guard. In this way, the spectators present were unable to log into his Steam account, change the password and thus take over the account.
Newell’s appearance at Cebit 2011 on YouTube
Why was his account safe? This new layer of security added 2-step authentication when logging in to Steam. Provided Steam Guard is activated, you will be asked to enter an access code when you attempt to log in to an unknown computer.
This access code will be sent to the email address stored in Steam. Without this code you cannot log in to a device that you have not previously used for Steam. As long as access to the email address is secure, a Steam account remains protected from attacks.
Has his account been hacked now? Since the login details were published, it has not been reported that Gabe Newell’s account could have been stolen.
Since his username [email protected] is also his company email address, so far no one seems to have managed to hack his email inbox.
Gabe Newell was probably smart enough not to use his Steam password “MoolyFTW” as his email address.
How safe is Steam today? In recent years, Valve has not been idle and has continued to improve Steam Guard and add new options for greater security. The Steam app gives players another option to protect their account from unauthorized access.
Within the app, account owners can use Steam Guard as an authenticator and log in to a new computer, for example by scanning a QR code. Receiving an access code can now also be done via the app instead of via email.
Appearances by Valve boss Gabe Newell always have something special about them. But Newell could also be seen outside of the games industry. He was so convinced of a kitchen appliance that he starred in a commercial: The boss of Steam is the inspiration for a kitchen appliance that costs 230 euros – Gabe Newell even stars in a commercial