With numerous identity monitoring services charging monthly fees, it’s nice to find some sites still let you run a free check for data breaches. These let you scan your email address to see if it’s affected by both current and past breaches, without any monthly fees or subscriptions.
Content
- Have I Been Pwned?
- Norton Free Breach Checker
- Avast Free Data Leak Check
- Mozilla Monitor
- F-Secure Identity Theft Checker
- Hasso-Plattner Institut Identity Leak Checker
- Bank and Credit Card Services
Have I Been Pwned?
This is usually my go-to site to see how many times my old Yahoo address becomes part of a breach. Just enter your email address and click pwned?
The results appear directly below the email box. This lists how many breaches your email was found in. Scroll down and you’ll find the name of each breach, along with the types of data that may have been affected, such as usernames, passwords, etc.
My favorite part is most breaches listed also have a link to give you more details. While donations are welcome to keep the site running, it’s completely free to check your email for data breaches and receive notifications of new activity as often as you want.
Norton Free Breach Checker
Norton owns LifeLock, so it makes sense for the site to offer a free data breach checker to encourage you to sign up for the premium LifeLock identify theft service.
The scanner checks the dark web for any instances of your email and lists how many breaches it has been part of. It also lists what information may be affected. The site found one more breach than Have I Been Pwned.
The only problem is it doesn’t list the name of the breach, the company involved, or any other useful details. So, you’re left wondering exactly where your info was compromised. On the other hand, if you see something recent, change your passwords immediately.
Avast Free Data Leak Check
Much like Norton, Avast has their own premium breach protection tools, but the antivirus provider also offers a free data leak check. Enter your email and click Check Now.
Unlike other services, Avast sends you an email report. Make sure you uncheck the box to receive news and product recommendations.
The report offers details on the breach name, what was affected, and when it occurred. However, it only found 11 instances, even though Norton and Have I Been Pwned found more.
Mozilla Monitor
If you love Firefox, give Mozilla Monitor a try to see if you’re affected by a data breach. While there’s a premium version that automatically scans monthly and works to remove your data from over 190 broker sites, it’s free to scan for breaches yourself at any time.
It’s a more comprehensive scanner that checks data brokers selling your info and breaches. The free version gives you details, but you have to manually remove the information, if possible. You do get free notifications of any new listings.
The only part I don’t like is you have to sign up for a free account before you scan. But, it’s easy to delete the account if you don’t want to keep it.
F-Secure Identity Theft Checker
Must like Avast, F-Secure Identity Theft Checker scans your email for any possible breaches and sends you an email report. This one found more breaches than others on this list with 34 breaches, but it appears that some were duplicates.
The service doesn’t store your email address or your report, so you don’t have to worry about follow-up emails from them. The only thing I don’t like is there isn’t much details about each breach. For instance, only a few had a link to explain more about it, but it does list what info might have been compromised.
Hasso-Plattner Institut Identity Leak Checker
Hasso-Plattner Institut Identity Leak Checker not only searches for data breaches for free, but lists sites that may have your info for sale. What I love about this one is you get a spreadsheet style chart that lists each breach, the date, and has a bright red Affected box to show exactly what information is included in the breach.
All information is sent directly to your email. Nothing is stored on the site’s servers. While it might not be the prettiest site on the list, I have to admit it has the most organized and easy to read report.
Bank and Credit Card Services
This isn’t something that’s free for everyone, but if you have a credit card or bank online, you may have free identity monitoring. It’s usually just the basic service that notifies you if your email is part of a breach. Some even offer your credit score for free as well.
The depth of information about any breaches varies greatly by bank and card. For example, I have two credit cards that offer this service. One only tells me my email was affected and that’s it. The other lists the name of the breach, but only sends out notifications once per week. So, if you do have access to this, there’s no harm in using it.
Help keep your information even safer by using a VPN when you bank and shop online. Also, if you use a cloud storage service, make sure you never back up these things.
Image credit: Pexels, All screenshots by Crystal Crowder
Crystal Crowder –
Staff Writer
Crystal Crowder has spent over 15 years working in the tech industry, first as an IT technician and then as a writer. She works to help teach others how to get the most from their devices, systems, and apps. She stays on top of the latest trends and is always finding solutions to common tech problems.
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