Most of us have no idea if our email address has been compromised or not, usually not until it’s too late. Ironically, as part of putting this article together, I checked my primary email address and discovered that it had been compromised via a hack of the “Internet Archive” website back in September 2024, which involved 31 million records, including usernames, email addresses, and passwords. I don’t even remember visiting that website, let alone creating an account.
Database hacks are, sadly, commonplace these days. In fact, security expert Troy Hunt at Have I Been Pwned very recently added a huge new list to the database containing 183 million email accounts with leaked login details. This brings the total number of accounts that have been affected by verifiable data leaks to over 15.3 billion. Scary stuff!
Check Your Email Address At Have I been Pwned
Have I Been Pwned is a great source for staying on top of data breaches. Checking your email address at Have I Been Pwned is quick and simple. Type in the email address you want checked and click the Check button:
How To Protect Yourself
Data breaches have become a way of life, but you can take steps to minimize any damage:
- Always set up 2FA (2 Factor Authentication) wherever possible: I have always been of the opinion that 2FA provides strong account protection, especially when receiving a verification code via text message. Even if the baddies get hold of your email address and password, because they don’t have physical access to your smartphone, they cannot possibly take it any further
- Use a different password for every account: Never use the same password for multiple accounts. If you use a different password per account, even if one account is compromised, all the others remain safe
I am not concerned about discovering that my email account has been compromised because I always follow the above two steps. I’ll change my email account password anyway, just to be on the safe side.
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