When your detect leaked passwords appears in a data leak, you should take immediate action. This article delves into what that means, how hacking happens, and how you can protect yourself with the right password manager.
Detect Leaked Passwords
How Passwords Become Leaked
While cybercriminals have a multitude of ways to use the information they steal from data breaches, using compromised passwords is one of the most popular. This is because it allows them to access accounts with valuable information (like bank account details, credit card numbers, or even social security numbers) and use that information for malicious purposes.
The most obvious way that hackers use stolen passwords is through credential stuffing, where they try the compromised password on multiple websites to see if it works. They can also use the personal information that is associated with those credentials to target attacks on a person or business.
It’s also possible for hackers to gain unauthorized access to your information if you have been reusing the same password across multiple accounts. This is because password reuse makes it easier to crack a given password and then use that for other websites, services, or platforms.
If you use a third-party password manager, you will get more detailed notification when your passwords appear in data breaches. These third-party applications will usually include a feature that checks for breached passwords on the dark web and provides you with options for resetting or changing those passwords.