As our day to day lives become increasingly digital, securing our online accounts has become more important than ever but what happens when our credentials are exposed in a data breach?
While organizations are legally required to issue data breach notices after falling victim to a cyberattack, some breaches go unreported and users are not informed that their credentials have been stolen by cybercriminals. This is why tools like HaveIBeenPwned have become so popular as they allow users to see if any of their personal information has been exposed online.
However, HaveIBeenPwned isn't the only such tool available. The news outlet CyberNews has created is own data leak checker which now includes more than 15bn accounts as well as over 2.5bn unique email addresses in its breach database.
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Falling victim to identity theft as a result of a data breach can be a devastating experience that will likely take years to recover from. For this reason, taking proactive steps such as using antivirus software, a password manager and CyberNews' free tool can help users secure their accounts and protect their personal data online.
CyberNews data leak checker
CyberNews has built up its database of compromised online accounts by having a dedicated team of security experts monitor hacker communities on the dark web for exposed and stolen data. This database is the basis of the company's data leak checker but the information gathered by its security experts is also used to produce blog posts and other research to help internet users stay informed of the myriad of cyber threats out there.
The CyberNews data leak checker database contains hashed email addresses and leak sources from various breaches. To protect this data, all of the information in the database is hashed with one of the safest hashing algorithms currently available, the Blowfish-based crypt also known as bcrypt.
Furthermore, all emails in the database are anonymised and linked only to the source of their respective leak. CyberNews does not collect any emails entered into its data leak check tool and nothing is logged when users take advantage of the tool to see if their account credentials have been exposed online.
As is the case with most things in life, your online security is entirely in your hands but by using tools such as CyberNews' data leak checker, you can take a proactive stance when it comes to protecting your personal information online.
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