Data breaches happen when an unauthorized person gains access to sensitive or confidential information about you. Examples of this include your bank details, healthcare data, and even your social security number. It’s different from a data leak because the latter describes the accidental exposure of your data but not the action of somebody getting access to it. That said, the two things are closely connected. A data leak could make it easier for cybercriminals or hackers to steal your sensitive information by helping to facilitate their wrongful access to it. This can potentially lead to identity theft.

Data breaches occur when sensitive data is exposed. Your digital information is stored around the world in hundreds of databases. Most companies have security measures in place to prevent hacking attempts, and data-leakage disasters. The danger is that your leaked data could end up being sold on the dark web.

Dark web scanning is the process of monitoring dark web websites. The dark web is often associated with illegal activities, such as cybercrime, data breaches, identity theft, the sale of stolen data, and more. Avast BreachGuard can automatically scan the dark web for your personal information that may have been part of a data leak or data breach. It can search through large databases of stolen usernames, passwords, Social Security numbers, and credit card numbers for sale. It’s important to regularly monitor your personal info to help prevent identity theft.

If you suspect your email has been hacked or leaked, you can run your email through Avast’s Hackcheck tool to check to see if your email has been compromised in a data breach.

For an in-depth analysis, Avast BreachGuard can scan the dark web for any leaked information about you. Our support team based in the U.S. can help if you fall victim to a data leak or breach, providing general assistance with identity theft issues.

Software like this, including Avast BreachGuard, can help you identify potential online threats to your personal or sensitive data. It scans the dark web for your personal data, alerting you to possible data leaks, data loss, and data breaches. Better still, we also give you access to our US-based support service to assist with related data security concerns.

What are the best ways to create strong passwords? Try creating a random group of characters that would be very hard to remember. If you want to make your own strong password, it’s best to use a group of words – almost a sentence– and perhaps throw some numbers in there for good measure, like, “hereismymagnificentspasswordthatimadein2020.”