How To Know if Your Information Is on the Dark Web

You can find out if your information is on the dark web by using a dark web scan tool, signing up for a dark web monitoring service or checking for the latest data breaches. The dark web is a layer of the internet that allows people to remain anonymous, often used by cybercriminals to find and sell stolen personal information. A dark web scan informs you if your personal information has surfaced on the dark web, which could put your accounts at risk of being compromised. By just entering your email address, Keeper^®’s free dark web scan tool can check if your login credentials are on the dark web.

Read more to learn how information ends up on the dark web, how to find out if your information is there and what you can do if it is.

How does your information get on the dark web?

Your private information could appear on the dark web for a variety of reasons, including public data breaches, phishing scams or compromised accounts.

Public data breaches

Let’s say you have an account with a cell service provider, and that cell service provider undergoes a public data breach. If they send you a notification that your private information was leaked, this means that your login credentials for that account could end up on the dark web. Having your private information on the dark web could turn you into a victim of identity theft, as cybercriminals could buy or steal this from the dark web and impersonate you to gain money or information.

Falling for a phishing scam

Private information could also appear on the dark web after falling for a phishing scam. In a phishing attack, a cybercriminal hopes to trick their victim into sharing private information like passwords or credit card information, usually by impersonating someone trustworthy. If you receive an email that asks you to enter your login credentials to verify your account information, check to make sure the email is coming from a legitimate company. In general, you should never click on any unsolicited links or attachments because a cybercriminal could collect your private information and then sell it on the dark web.

Compromised accounts

Your information can also appear on the dark web if one of your accounts has been compromised, which means that someone else accessed it without your permission. If you have a weak or reused password for an account that has been found on the dark web, it is likely that a cybercriminal easily guessed your password and was able to access your account without difficulty. Your account could also have been compromised through a data breach, phishing scam or malware infection.

How to find out if your information is on the dark web

There are several easy ways to check if your private information can be found on the dark web.

Use a free dark web scan tool

Luckily, you can use a dark web scan tool to determine if your credentials are on the dark web. To use Keeper’s free dark web scan tool, all you need to do is provide your email address. From there, the dark web scan tool will search its database with billions of breached login credentials to search for a match. If there is a match, the tool will notify you which account credentials were found on the dark web.

Sign up for dark web monitoring

Dark web monitoring is slightly different than a dark web scan because dark web monitoring consistently checks the dark web for your private information, whereas a dark web scanning tool is typically used when you want to check for your information once. When you invest in a dark web monitoring tool, your private information will be frequently searched for on the dark web so you will be alerted immediately if your information is found.

The best dark web monitoring tool is BreachWatch^®, which is an add-on feature to Keeper Password Manager. Using a dark web monitoring tool like BreachWatch is convenient because it constantly checks whether your private information is on the dark web. By scanning the dark web for credentials that match the ones stored in your digital vault, BreachWatch can detect compromised credentials and notify you immediately.

Check for recent data breaches

Stay alert about the latest data breaches because your information may have been compromised without your knowledge. You can check for recent data breaches on news websites and blogs focused on technology or cybersecurity. On these websites and blogs, experts will typically summarize what kind of data breach has occurred, what type of information was targeted, how many people were impacted and what you should do if your information was compromised.

Steps to take if your information is on the dark web

Your next steps depend on the type of information that was found on the dark web. However, if you take all these steps regardless of what information is on the dark web, you will be more protected overall.

1. Immediately update your passwords

If you receive a notification that your credentials have been found on the dark web, you need to change your passwords immediately. One of the easiest ways to update your passwords, whether they have been compromised or not, is by using a password manager. With Keeper, you can create new and strong passwords instantly with its built-in password generator. This tool will allow you to choose how long you want your password to be and the types of characters (uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols) you want to use. Creating a new password, especially for any of your accounts that have passwords on the dark web, will protect your private information and identity from further danger.

2. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on your accounts

Another way of securing your information after it has been found on the dark web is by enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on not only the exposed account, but every other account you can. MFA requires you to give an extra form of authentication to verify your identity before logging in to an account or application. An MFA method could be a PIN, an answer to a security question, a code from an authenticator app, a fingerprint scan, facial ID recognition or your specific geographic location. Enabling MFA protects your accounts, private information and identity.

3. Place a fraud alert on your credit report

After learning that your information has been found on the dark web, you could be a victim of identity theft. To protect your identity, you will want to place a fraud alert on your credit report with all three major credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) to prevent someone from opening lines of credit or taking out loans under your name. When a fraud alert is added to your credit report, it will require you to verify your identity before opening credit accounts or taking out loans. This ensures that, if someone has stolen your identity from the dark web, no one besides you can use your credit.

4. Secure your Social Security number

If you find out that your Social Security number has been compromised on the dark web, you need to claim your Social Security number on your Social Security account immediately. From there, you can lock your Social Security number, which will prevent anyone from viewing or altering your personal information associated with your Social Security account.

5. Be on the lookout for suspicious activity

Make sure to check your accounts for any suspicious activity, such as purchases you didn’t make showing up on credit card statements or frequent log-in attempts on your email accounts. If you notice suspicious activity on your financial accounts, report the activity to your bank as fraud so they can investigate the mysterious charges. On any online account, if you start seeing suspicious activity, update your password right away.

Receive real-time dark web alerts with BreachWatch

It’s much safer to know when your information first appears on the dark web so you can act immediately to protect yourself. That’s why you should use Keeper Password Manager, where you can rely on BreachWatch to constantly check for your information on the dark web.

Begin your free 30-day trial of Keeper Password Manager to create and store your private information today.