How to know if your personal information is circulating on the dark web and what the risks are

All the information that one saves in the cloud is susceptible to falling into the pit of dark web a space where digital goods are sold or auctioned clandestinely. In this note, what tools You can use it to find out if any security barrier – private, public or personal – has already been breached.

And while the thinnest thread in security is the email hack, the cut can also include personal data phone number, login credentials, or corporate schematics, such as tax forms, financial statements, and bank account numbers.

Typically, this collection becomes part of the dark ranks when a web service, social network, or cloud storage site was involved in a security breach.

Whoever acquires these personal data libraries does so with the aim of obtaining remuneration. through deception This includes identity theft, credit card cloning, and financial embezzlement using automated calls.

Once in the hands of the negotiator, these packets are auctioned off by data brokers who collect these databases to sell them to a third party. They can be extracted from public sources (a technique called OSINT) or private sources.

A clear indication that something is wrong is when an alert is received that an attempt was made to change an account recovery email address or phone number. If this happens, it is likely that cybercriminals are doing some testing.

Furthermore, it is rare for a compromised site to disclose that it was the victim of an attack, and if it is discovered that it was, it will try to downplay the incident so that its customers do not lose trust.

The problem is that there is no way to find out if the address you own has been affected. The only way is to resort to certain internet locators that warn if the information you save is at the mercy of some cybercriminals.

Google has added a new security feature to alert users if their emails are circulating on the dark web. The service goes into the dark web to check if the Gmail address appears on any list. In case of danger, it advises on the steps to follow to reinforce security.

It was originally intended for those who had a Google One subscription, where the company centralizes its storage contracts. But in some languages ​​and regions, checks can now be made with the username or email of the user. free form.

Once the analysis is complete, Google will provide a summary of what has been gathered, showing whether the data being searched for is on the black market and, if it has been found, when and how it was found.

The results specify whether the Gmail account has been filtered by any of the third party platforms with which it is associated – it could be LinkedIn, Dropbox, Adobe, X or Canva – making clear the data that is at risk and from what date it is at risk.

Its major limitation is that it only identifies Gmail email and user data in Google, so it will not offer search results. other accountsTo go a step further, it will be necessary to resort to other exploration platforms.

Like Google, these online scanners scan the corridors of the dark web to check whether information that was supposedly protected has been published. When proven, they issue an alert that allows them to take corrective action.

One of the most popular is Have I Been Pwned. Simply enter the email address in the search box to find out if it has been leaked anywhere.

Additionally, it offers a subscription service that notifies you when the address has been compromised. It also has a section where you can check sites that have suffered security breaches.

While DeHashed is a service that is dedicated to collecting and storing leaked and compromised information in data breaches. In addition to publicly leaked email and password viewing, you can analyze the phone number.

In addition, it carries out a password trackingidentify those that are weak or have been compromised in data breaches and take steps to strengthen online security.

With a slightly broader spectrum, Intelligence X extends its reach to other domains, such as URLs, IPs, CIDRs, Bitcoin addresses, IPFS hashes. In addition to snooping around the darknet, it moves through document-sharing platforms, whois data, public leaks.

It is designed to not collect personally identifiable information in relation to search results. This makes it widely used by researchers, journalists, companies or government agencies. To try it out you need to register. Supports 50 searches free of charge.

Using a similar logic, Secureito also appears, which checks if email data has been hacked and secures accounts instantly with a single click. Once associated with the account you want to analyze, it shows the different breaches that were leaked. Usually, this is due to associated applications or services.

Another commercial alternative is the NordPass Data Breach Scanner to check if your email and credit card data have been exposed.

• If any data appears on these lists, security must be strengthened, starting with the email access password.

• At this point, experts point out that it is not advisable to use a password similar to the one affected by the leak and that it is not the same one used to open other accounts.

• To avoid problems, you must have at least 12 characters. To make it non-deducible, mix letters, numbers and special symbols: do not use normal words that you can find in a dictionary.

• If you have identified the service through which the leak occurred, unsubscribe from the email account or change the credentials so that it does not happen again.

• The second line of defense will be to set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) for online accounts. An additional step requires the account holder’s identity to be verified each time they access the account.

• Security protocols – having antivirus protection and updating the operating system – ensure that computers, private networks and servers do not suffer serious repercussions in the event of a hacking attempt that aims to break into the system.