Data breaches and internet security are a big concern for many individuals, and with good reason. Large companies that have had their users’ information (such as email addresses, passwords and password hints) compromised include Adobe and Snapchat.
Luckily, there is a website, Have I Been Pwned?, which searches across various domains and known breaches to see if a particular email address or username has been compromised. The site’s name comes from the gaming term “Pwned”, which is a twist on the word “owned” (defeated). The exact origin of this term is disputed.
The website also can inform you if your information has been “pasted,” which the site describes as:
A “paste” is information that has been “pasted” to a publicly facing website designed to share content such as Pastebin. These services are favored by hackers due to the ease of anonymously sharing information and they’re frequently the first place a breach appears.
This website is a valuable tool to find out if your personal information has been compromised. Check out this post for suggestions on strengthening the security of your accounts.