It doesn’t just happen to others… Large companies, hospitals, SMEs, individuals, no one is safe from seeing their personal data disappear into the wild and be the subject of illicit trade on the Dark Web. Have I been pwned ?, or HIBP is a tool through which it is possible to check whether your various online accounts on the Internet have been the subject of a cyberattack identified by the HIBP site.
One of the greatest fears of Internet users is having their personal data stolen when a service or network is victim of hackers, which happens frequently. No company is immune to massive data theft, including Gafam (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft). Fortunately, there is a very practical online tool to find out if your email address or phone number are in the hands of malicious people.
Most of the time, the data collected concerns surnames, first names, telephone numbers, e-mail or even addresses and professions of Internet users. In the most serious cases, bank details can also be stolen.
A simple and relevant tool
To find out if your email address or your telephone number is circulating in the wrong hands, and therefore potentially other data with it, you should connect to the site. Have I Been Pwned (“Have I been had?”, in French). This reference site lists all data reported as stolen by online sites and services. In this way, all you have to do is type in your e-mail address to find out if it appears once or several times.
If so, you will have the list of corrupted sites and services. You will then have to immediately change all the passwords concerned as quickly as possible, even if the attack dates back several months or years. It is also strongly recommended to switch to double authentication, when possible.
The same service is provided for telephone numbers. If yours is one of those hacked, then you will have to be very vigilant and be wary of any suspicious message, call or SMS.
