You are receiving this notification because your information has been found on the dark web, where it may be purchased or used by criminals to commit identity crimes. Here are some potential reasons why your information might be available on the dark web:
Website breaches
This may occur if a website where you provided your information to sign up or use its services has experienced a data breach. It can be challenging to remember all the services linked to that website, or you might not be aware of them at all.
Even though you may have stopped using the website, or deactivated the account, or unsubscribed, the information could still be available in their systems.
Exposed usernames and passwords (known as a Combo List)
In some cases, usernames/email addresses and password pairs are uploaded as a text file known as a Combo List onto the dark web. This file is machine-readable and can be used as an input to tools that will automate authentication requests to a website or an application programming interface (API).
You receive a notification if your information is found in a Combo List. Due to security purposes, you only see the password partially. Note that the password may not be your most recent, but one you have used in the past. You must verify that the email address associated with this password belongs to you before we partially unmask and display the password.
For more details, read Learn more about Password Combo List notification.
Exposure of your personal information from an unconfirmed source
Your personal information is exposed by an unconfirmed source on the dark web. Unfortunately, we don't have complete details on the breach, so we cannot provide you with the name or source of the exposure. However, we will specify the category of the exposed information so that you can change and strengthen your online logins and passwords.
Note that our Customer Support agents do not have any additional information about this exposure, nor do they know if your exposed personal information is being used in any suspicious manner.
We're constantly scanning for your personal information on the dark web and will continue to notify you if we find anything. In the meantime, we advise you to be prudent with your personal information going forward.
Updated on: December-12-2024