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3 quick and easy ways to check if hackers know your password
Hackers may already have your password, and you might not even know it. Here's how to check for potential password leaks in data breaches.
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Data breaches are becoming more common than you might think. Every few days, reports surface claiming that a data breach has occurred, and this does not just happen to small companies. Some big-name companies also fall victim, where hackers can infiltrate their security and gain access to users' passwords, banking information, and a great deal more. This, of course, puts common users at risk.
Recently, reports surfaced claiming that around 16 billion passwords had been compromised across various platforms. So, it makes definite sense to be worried about whether your specific passwords and accounts have been compromised.
You might be wondering if there is a way you can check if this has actually happened to you, and if hackers have your password? Worry not, here are a few tools which you can use to check if your passwords and accounts have been compromised. Read on.
1. Have I Been Pwned?
This website lets you enter your password to check if it has been compromised. You can simply go to the website, enter the password of the account you fear might have been compromised, and then tap on 'check'. If a password has been compromised, the website will say, "Oh no — pwned!" and that this password has been seen a certain number of times before in data breaches. This definitely means you should change your password. If the password has not been seen on the internet, the website will say, "Good news — no pwnage found!"
2. Use the Apple Passwords app
If you own Apple devices and have updated to the latest iOS 18, iPadOS 18 or macOS 15 software versions, you will have access to the Passwords app. You can simply open the Passwords app, go to 'All Passwords', and then you will see a list of all the accounts for which you have saved passwords. If an account needs action, there will be an exclamation mark on it. Once you open it, the page will show that you have a compromised password and that it has been detected in a data leak and should be changed immediately.
3. Use Google Password Manager's Checkup tool
You can open your Android phone and head to the Google Password Manager and then go to 'Checkup'. Once the tool scans your passwords, you will see a list of various compromised, reused, and weak passwords. You should definitely act on this based on what the tool reports. If you have weak passwords, you should consider choosing strong passwords for your accounts.
A different version of the same can also be accessed using the Google Chrome browser.
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