When you start thinking about your online life in general, it turns out to be quite frightening. You have got school portal, gaming accounts and social media profiles, which makes you a kind of online celebrity. And it is sad, as hackers just love the celebrities, and they keep trying to hack and steal some data. But there is nothing to be afraid about as you can check your digital security right now. You can use free data breach checkers to check whether your data has been stolen or not.
Email address is the key that unlocks many doors, and once this key is in the hands of a thief, they will be able to unlock all the gaming accounts and banks' applications that you use. Data breach occurs when hackers penetrate the database of any company and take user information, such as passwords and phone numbers and post it on the dark web. And it might take quite a while before you notice it.
Now it is time to talk about Have I Been Pwned? This website was created by security expert Troy Hunt and is meant to protect the average users. It might sound like a joke but, in reality, it can provide you with the high level of protection. All you have to do is type your email address and the website will check it against billions of leaked records. You will be shown the exact data breach in which your data was stolen.
Let's move to the process of using this tool. Open your browser, go to the website of Have I Been Pwned and you will see the huge search box in the center of the page. Type your email address and press enter button on the keyboard. You will immediately know whether your data has been compromised or not.
In case your result will be green, you have nothing to worry about. In case the result is red, it means that at least one of your accounts has been hacked. You will see the name of the company whose database has been penetrated and what information they took from you. It can be Adobe, LinkedIn, or maybe the gaming forum you used long time ago.
There is also Firefox Monitor. This tool is maintained by the people who work for the Firefox browser. The principle of its work is the same as for the previous one but the user interface is different. Some people like this difference as this tool looks more modern and more user-friendly. Also, you can set the website to send you the notifications if your address appears in any new leaks. Thus, it works as a protector of your online presence.
Google provides the feature called "Results about you". It is meant to remove your personal information from search results. It is not a breach checker but it is useful for cleaning your digital footprint. To find this tool, you will have to go to the settings of Google app and choose "Data and Privacy" section. There will be the button "Results about you", after clicking on it, the application will scan search results for your phone number and home address and ask you to delete it.
So, you know now that your account has been hacked. And the very first step that you should make in this case is changing your password. And if you use it for other accounts, you should change it there as well. In case, you use the same password for many different services, you provide the possibility to hack all of them and it is not a good idea.
But what if you have lots of accounts, which require passwords, and remembering each password is quite hard for you? Then it is time for password managers like Bitwarden or 1Password. They will generate super-strong passwords for all the websites you are visiting and you will have to remember only the master password. It sounds like a hard task but it is much easier than trying to remember different passwords.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is another powerful security measure. The thing is that even though hackers have your password, they will not be able to access your accounts as they will need the second code. It is usually sent to your phone number either via text message or an authenticator app. It is better to use the authenticator app like Authy or Google Authenticator as it is a safer way of doing this. Though, this way of accessing accounts is slower than the usual one, it is much better.
Now you might think that it is a very bad idea to type your email address into the breach checker. It sounds reasonable as the Internet can be considered as a minefield sometimes. But reputable websites like Have I Been Pwned do not store your email address when you perform a search. They use it to check their database and then delete this data. So, do not worry about being hacked via this website. Choose the trusted tools to avoid phishing attacks.
Actually, the question is not whether you will be breached or not, but when you will be hacked. Even such large companies as Sony and Equifax had their massive security breaches before. The aim of your actions is not to become an unhackable person as it is impossible. The aim is to make you a harder target for the attackers than the average person. And by using these free tools, you will already be far away from the average user.
It is a good idea to check your phone number, not your email address. Many data breach websites allow you to search by your phone number. The scammers usually use stolen numbers for making calls and sending phishing messages. Knowing whether your number is on the internet can help you to filter out spamming calls. So, you can set the rule in your phone to block the unknown callers.
Consider creating the additional email address, which you can use only for sign-up on various websites. And your main email you should use for essential tasks, such as work or banking. It can create a firewall between your public life and your private life. You can consider it as the second wallet to distract the pickpocket.
Data hygiene might sound boring but it is just the digital cleaning of your devices. You should regularly check your digital exposure, just as you clean your room regularly. To use these sites, you will need only 5 minutes of your time and that can prevent you from lots of problems in the future.
If you find out that you have been breached, there is no need to blame yourself for that. It can happen to anyone, no matter if this person is tech-savvy or totally newbie. The important thing is that you can fix this situation. You are forming the habits that will protect you in future when you will have to pay the bills and file the taxes. So, treat this as an opportunity to learn something.
It can be also a good idea to help your parents or grandparents to check their email addresses. The older generation often becomes the target of phishing attacks and identity thefts. Teaching your loved ones to use Have I Been Pwned will be a nice deed. And you will be the tech hero for some time.
Security is the process, not the destination point, and breaches occur every day all around the globe. So, use this free tools to your advantage.
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