The dark web is a marketplace where stolen credentials, credit card numbers, social security numbers, and personal data are bought and sold daily. After every major data breach, the stolen records end up on dark web forums — often within hours. Here is how to find out if your data is among them.
Email and password combinations — From data breaches. Used for credential stuffing attacks. Full identity packages ("fullz") — Name, address, SSN, date of birth, mother's maiden name. Used for identity theft and fraud. Credit card data — Card numbers, CVVs, expiration dates. Medical records — Insurance information and health data. Worth more than credit cards because they enable insurance fraud.
Start with our Email Breach Checker — it scans 500+ known breach databases to see if your email appears in any leaked datasets. This tells you which services have exposed your data and what types of information were compromised (passwords, personal details, financial data).
Immediate actions: Change passwords on all affected services. Use unique passwords generated with our Password Generator. Enable two-factor authentication. Monitor your bank statements for unauthorized charges. Consider a credit freeze if personal identity data was exposed.
Data breaches happen continuously. Check your email against breach databases regularly — at least monthly. Set up alerts with services like HaveIBeenPwned. Monitor your credit report for accounts you did not open. Watch for phishing emails that reference personal information (a sign your data is circulating).
Use different email addresses for different purposes — one for banking, one for social media, one for newsletters. Use a VPN to prevent your IP and browsing data from being linked to your identity. Test your current exposure with our Privacy Checkup. Minimize the personal data you share with online services — every piece of data you provide is data that can be breached.
Many companies sell "dark web monitoring" subscriptions. In truth, these services scan the same breach databases available through free tools. They cannot monitor the entire dark web — it is too vast and constantly changing. Save your money and use free tools like our breach checker regularly instead.