How do you know if your data is being leaked to the Darknet?

When we surf the Internet, we often hear information that hackers have hacked into a database and uploaded data to the public domain. In times of digitalization, this problem is becoming more and more popular.

In this regard, people are starting to worry about how secure their data is, or whether it has long been in the darknet. After all, it’s one thing when it comes to email or phone numbers, which is also not very pleasant. And it’s another when attackers know where you live, where you work, what kind of vehicle you drive, etc.

Today, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about the Darknet data breach. After all, your safety is the most important thing in life. 

Darknet data leakage: the most popular causes

The causes of data leakage on the Darknet can be divided into two options: when the data was given by the person himself or herself, or when it is not related to him or her at all.

In the first case, attackers can steal data from you directly. The most popular way is phishing.

The scheme works like this: a fraudster sends you a link to a resource. There are many reasons for this – from a request to vote for someone to an offer to earn money, receive a payment, or win money. Moreover, fraudsters can write on behalf of your friends if they have gained access to their accounts. 

After clicking on the link, fraudsters get your data. Most often, it involves stealing accounts or card and cryptocurrency wallet data. Then the attacker has two options: try to scam money by withdrawing it from the card or writing to your friends. Or they can sell the data on the Internet for other people to do it. But the outcome is the same – as a result, you or your friends are stolen.

The second method is more global and involves experienced hackers. It is about hacking databases. It can be either hacking into the database of a website or hacking into entire systems. For example, government agencies or banks.

The second method is the most dangerous. First of all, attackers get more important information about you. And secondly, you can’t influence this in any way. You can only rely on the IT department of these organizations.

How to check for data leakage on the Darknet

There are also two options here. The first is to get into the Darknet yourself and try to find the information. But we do not recommend you to do this. There’s a reason why the Darknet is restricted – you may encounter sensitive content, or even accidentally break the law.

The second way is easier. You can turn to special resources that automatically check your data. For example, Google provides such a service. It allows you to enable the monitoring of your data on the darknet in case of a leak. You can learn how to do this here. 

You can also use other services that check data for leaks. Among them: 

• Keeper
• Hackyourmom
• Have I Been Pwned

You can also find similar services on the Internet. They usually ask you to enter your email and download all the data. 

What to do if your data is in the Darknet

So, we’ve figured out how to detect a data leak on the Darknet. The next question is what to do if it has already happened.

First of all, don’t panic. You need to find out what kind of data was leaked to the network. If it is an email or phone number, your main problem is constant spam. A simple solution is to change the number or email, and then everything will be resolved. A more complicated option is to limit spam. For example, you can block incoming calls from unfamiliar numbers on your phone.

If data from your accounts, for example, on social networks or data from online banks, has been leaked. You should immediately change the passwords to all your accounts. In this case, attackers will simply lose all information about you.

The most problematic option is the leak of data about your property or place of residence. In most cases, it is impossible to solve this problem. The only option is to buy back this information on the darknet. But it’s hard to say whether it’s worth it. After all, such information about most people is not of much value. Usually, it is paid for dearly only when it comes to rich or famous people.

How to protect yourself from data breaches

As we have already mentioned, it is simply impossible to protect all your data from leakage. In many cases, it depends not only on you, but also on state-owned companies or online resources.

However, here are some tips on how to minimize the problems of a possible data breach:

• Create different passwords for different services. Very often, people come up with one password and use it everywhere. The bad news is that no matter how strong and secure the password is, if it is stolen, the attacker will automatically gain access to all your accounts;
• Enable two-factor authentication. It significantly reduces the chance of data being accessed to your accounts. You can do this very easily through Google Authenticator;
• Don’t register on websites you don’t trust. It’s very simple: websites often store information about you. And when hacked, attackers will get all the information you left there;
• Do not click on unknown links. This tip refers to phishing, which is the most common cause of data breaches caused by the user.