Arrr! Ye scallywags, use Proton Mail's spyglass to spy on if yer secrets have been plundered! Aye, matey!
2024-04-22
Avast ye scurvy dogs! Proton Mail's spyglass be on the lookout for any scallywags tryin' to steal yer treasure! If ye credentials be caught in a breach, ye shall be warned faster than a pirate with a peg leg! Aye, keep yer messages safe, ye landlubbers! Arrr!
Proton Mail has just unveiled a new Dark Web Monitoring feature in a bid to bolster its security capabilities against widespread data breaches. Incidents of data leaks are reportedly on the rise, as billions of people's credentials are exposed. The longer this sensitive information remains on the web, the easier is for cybercriminals to exploit it to their advantage. This new tool from Proton seeks to challenge this. By identifying and alerting you as soon as your credentials appear in a breach, you will be able to take action before bad actors get to them.Already one of the most secure email providers on the market, Proton Mail now claims to be the first email service to combine end-to-end encryption and dark web monitoring protections. The new feature is now available on its web and desktop apps, but only for paid subscribers.As the Head of Anti-Abuse & Account Security at Proton, Eammon Maguire, explained, the dark web is filled with leaked information, data, and credential dumps—and that's something that not even the strongest end-to-end encryption alone cannot protect against. Take the data leak that occurred in January this year, for instance. Dubbed the "Mother of all data breaches," it unveiled a 12TB database that contained more than 26 billion records.The owners of this leaked data are often unaware, yet cybercriminals are busy trading their sensitive details to launch identity fraud and other attacks. By taking advantage of the fact that most people may reuse their passwords on multiple accounts, criminals often execute what's known as a "credential stuffing attack." They enter thousands of these stolen passwords and email addresses across various platforms on the lookout for a potential match."While data breaches of third-party sites leading to the leak of personal information (such as your email address) can never be entirely avoided, automated early warning can help users stay vigilant and mitigate worse side effects such as identity theft," said Maguire.That's exactly when Proton Mail's new Dark Web Monitoring tool comes in—a way for you to react as quickly as possible in case your credentials are being exposed. The feature regularly scans all the corners of the dark web, which is exactly the section of the internet where your stolen personal information ends up. It looks for email addresses, passwords, and any other personal details linked to your account.