Finding out that your personal details were leaked can be really upsetting. The good thing is that checking doesn’t have to turn into a long and confusing search online. Start by looking at the places that track data leaks then check your accounts for anything out of the ordinary.
Start With a Breach Checker
One of the ways to check is to use a reliable breach-checking service like Have I Been Pawned. Enter your email address. See if it shows up in any known breach. You don’t need to give away your password. In fact you should not.
The results might show that your email was part of a breach from a company you used a time ago and barely remember. That is normal. Old accounts are often where forgotten details stay around.
Check Your Main Email First
Your email is the place to begin because it is usually connected to everything else. If your email address appears in a breach check the date and the type of information that was involved. An old password is more of a worry than an exposed username especially if you have used that password else.
• An old breach isn’t a big problem right now but a reused password is something to deal with today.
• No match? That’s good. It doesn’t mean your information has never been leaked, because breach databases only know about incidents that have been found and shared.
Look for Signs Inside Your Accounts
Check your login activity. Look for a device or a place you don’t recognize. A strange login doesn’t always mean someone hacked in because mobile networks and travel can make things look odd but repeated activity you can’t explain needs attention.
Also watch out for password reset emails that you didn’t ask for. A sudden change to your recovery email is worse. So is a security alert that arrives when you are not near the account.
What Should You Do If Your Information Was Leaked?
Change the password that was exposed first. If you used it on another site change it there too using a password. Better let a password manager create something new and unique.
• Enable two-factor authentication, for accounts, especially your email because that extra step makes stolen passwords much less helpful.
• If financial details were exposed watch your statements carefully for a while. It might be boring. Boring is exactly what you want here.
Don’t Forget Old Accounts
Here’s the thing. People usually take care of the accounts they use every day. Forget the ones they stopped using years ago.
Look through your inbox for signup emails. If you find accounts you no longer need delete them when the service allows it. At the least change any passwords that you have used elsewhere.
Checking once is helpful. Checking every months is better. You don’t need to make it an obsession.