Every day, thousands of databases containing users’ emails and passwords are traded on the dark web (underground markets for stolen data). If you have ever reused a single password, an old breach can open the door to your current accounts. The good news is that checking for this is straightforward and requires no special technical knowledge.
1. Search Your Emails on Trusted Websites
Start by visiting a free breach-checking service such as haveibeenpwned.com. Enter your work and personal email addresses. If you appear on the list, your account information is present in one of the known breaches. For business administrators, it is best to check every company-domain address (e.g., info@razbansec.com) separately to identify which mailboxes are at risk.
2. Take Passwords Seriously and Never Reuse Them
- If your email is on the list, change that account’s password immediately.
- Change the password for every important account that shared the same password as the affected email.
- Create a unique, long password for each service, combining letters, numbers, and symbols.
- Use a password manager such as Bitwarden or 1Password so you don’t have to memorize every credential.
3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication
Even if your password has been leaked, enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) adds another layer of security. Ideally, use one-time-code-based apps (such as Google Authenticator or Authy) and avoid enabling 2FA via SMS, since SMS messages can be intercepted.
4. Make Regular Monitoring a Habit
Breaches happen every week; a single check is not enough. It is recommended that you recheck your primary email addresses and your organization’s domain every three months. If you use Google Gmail, the Password Checkup feature in your Google account automatically compares your saved passwords against known breaches.
Checking for email breaches is a simple yet critical habit that takes less than ten minutes and can prevent serious damage. If, as a business owner, you are concerned about the security of your organization’s email infrastructure and domain, the Aras Fanavaran Razban team stands ready with data-breach assessment and incident response services.
