In early November 2026, the scale of data breaches reached staggering levels, with billions of stolen identifiers being bought and sold on hacker forums and the darknet. According to Have I Been Pwned, a leading tool in this sector, there were already 1,049 hacked sites recorded, exposing nearly 17.8 billion email addresses. This figure includes approximately 2 billion credentials added in November 2025 from lists compiled by the company Synthient, though three-quarters of these had appeared previously. Cybercriminals primarily target customer databases to resell files containing usernames, passwords, phone numbers, and occasionally credit card details. These stolen datasets are subsequently used for phishing campaigns, social media account takeovers for fraudulent promotion, or unauthorized purchases on e-commerce platforms.
To mitigate these risks, security experts advise regularly checking if personal information is present in known data leaks. Six distinct free verification sites have been identified, operated by cybersecurity companies, specialized media outlets, independent researchers, and academic institutions. While most of these platforms operate in English, with F-Secure offering a French version, the process generally involves entering an email address into a search bar. It is important to note that results vary between services because each maintains its own database; therefore, a negative result on one site does not guarantee safety. For instance, as of early November 2026, Cybernews claimed to track 36,030 hacked sites compared to the 1,049 listed by Have I Been Pwned, which filters the leaks it integrates.
F-Secure is a cybersecurity firm whose platform identified the most leaks during tests conducted in October 2022. Unlike other tools that display results directly on the page, F-Secure sends a report with recommended actions via email. Similarly, Avast offers a service called Hack Check that functions in the same manner, delivering its findings to the verified email address. For those seeking immediate on-page results, Cybernews provides an interface displaying data directly and claims a database of over 18.6 billion compromised accounts.
Have I Been Pwned, launched in 2013 by Australian security researcher Troy Hunt, remains a reference point in the industry, with other services like Mozilla Monitor relying on its data. The site is straightforward to use and immediately lists the specific breaches containing a user's email address. Intelx.io, established in 2018 by Prague-based Intelligence X, allows searches using various identifiers including emails, usernames, and Bitcoin addresses. While basic searches are free, some results are hidden behind a subscription model aimed at security professionals, with plans starting at 2,500 euros per year.
The Identity Leak Checker, managed by the Hasso-Plattner Institute at the University of Potsdam in Germany since 2014, offers one of the most comprehensive reports. Its database contains over 19 billion identities from 2,063 leaks and provides detailed information regarding the types of data exposed via email. F-Secure and Cybernews state that they do not retain the addresses entered by users, though this relies on their word. If a tool confirms a leak, users are advised to change passwords for the affected service and any other accounts where the same credentials were reused, opting for complex combinations and enabling two-factor authentication where available.
Beyond dedicated tools, individuals can also search their names on Google or use Google Lens with photos to detect fake profiles created with stolen images. However, one option has been discontinued: Google's "Dark Web Report" service. Google ceased searching for new leaks on January 15, 2026, and closed the service entirely on February 16, citing a lack of clear actionable insights for users. Consequently, relying on the specialized tools mentioned above is now necessary to monitor personal data security.
Sources: Numerama.