Millions of people don’t know what information about them has been published on the dark web: Google allows you to check it for free

In March of last year, Google released its “dark web report” to help users detect Leaked informationSince then, the American company has been expanding its access. Currently, this interesting tool is available (with limitations for users without a subscription) on the page Google Oneand at the end of this month will be available for free in the section Results about you.

When we talk about the dark web, we are referring to a portion of the deep web that is not indexed by search engines. It is a space where users can hide their identity and location, which allows many cybercriminals to use it to make money by sharing information stolen from security breaches, although it is also home to many other illegal activities such as drug dealing.

How to use the dark web report today for free

Data breaches are a reality in the interconnected world we live in, so knowing if some of our data has ended up on the dark web It is a key method to take measures and better protect ourselves. However, unlike what happens with the web that we use every day, the surface web, we cannot use a search engine on the dark web, and to access it we will need certain technical knowledge, as well as specialized software.

Google’s “dark web report” is a very useful tool that can help us identify if we have been affected by a data breach and, consequently, take measures to avoid further problems. It monitors the dark web for us and tells us if it finds personal information such as names, usernames, email addresses, passwords, date of birth, phone number, or home address.

While, as we say, the tool is scheduled to migrate to Results About You later this month, you can use it today for free to conduct a Analysis of your account. To do this, even if you do not have a subscription, enter the Google One page from a computer or mobile phone and click on Try now. The next step will be to click on Run analysis. You will then be presented with the results of the analysis of your email address.

If the tool has not found any information about you on the dark web, it will inform you. If, on the other hand, the analysis has yielded positive results, you will see the sign “Your information has been found on the dark web”, followed by a summary of the search. The best thing to do here is to click on See all results to take action as soon as possible. The source of the leak will be displayed on the left and the type of leaked information on the right.

As we can see in the screenshots, the dark web report will offer you details of the leaked information. Although it is possible that other additional information may be found that does not necessarily belong to the user. Many leaks come from “combos” of leaks that are published on the dark web. Also, some of the data will be hidden, although the visible segment can help you identify whether it is real information or not in order to take the necessary measures.

The tool itself suggests a series of measures after each leak detected, such as changing the password and setting up a two-factor authentication method. In scenarios where our name or date of birth has been leaked, there is not much we can do. It is never too late to improve our digital security practices, stop reusing passwords and protect our ecosystem to avoid headaches due to any type of leak.

Images | Screenshots

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