Email Hacked: Has your personal email account been the victim of a data breach? Often, we're unaware of it, and our important data is put at risk. Learn how to check.
How to check if an email is hacked
Email Hacked: Nowadays, email accounts aren't just for sending and receiving email. They're used to log in to everything from bank accounts to social media profiles and important office documents. Forgotten passwords for online accounts often result in a reset link via email. Therefore, if your email account falls into the hands of a hacker, it could pose a significant threat to both your privacy and your financial well-being.
Sometimes scammers quietly breach data, and we don't even notice it for months. Have you ever wondered if the email you use every day has been compromised in a data breach? If you're unaware of this and want to keep your account completely secure, today we're going to share a simple way to find out if your email is safe in minutes.
How to check if your email is safe or not
You don't need any sophisticated software or expensive antivirus software to verify if your email address has been leaked. There's a highly trusted and secure website called Have I Been Pwned, used by cybersecurity experts worldwide. Simply open this website in your phone or laptop's browser and enter the email address you want to verify in the search box.
As soon as you type your email and click the search button, the website will immediately pull up records of all past data leaks and hacking incidents worldwide. If your email address appears on any of the leaked email addresses, the website will display a red warning indicating that your data is at risk. However, if your email address is completely safe, a green bar will appear on the screen, indicating no need to panic.
What to do if your email is leaked?
Suppose you checked and a website reported that your email address had been exposed in a data breach. There's no need to panic. Without a second, change your email account's password immediately. Always create a strong password that includes capital and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters, so it's impossible for anyone else to guess.
Additionally, immediately enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on your account. This way, if someone tries to log in from another device, they can't proceed without receiving an OTP on your phone. Also, check that there are no unknown third-party apps or devices connected to your account that you haven't authorized. If you find any, remove them immediately.
How to keep your email account safe
To ensure your email never falls prey to hackers in the future, make sure you never use the same password for different websites and apps, as a leak in one place can put other accounts at risk.
Always avoid signing up with your email address on any unknown or phishing link, especially on websites with no credibility. Always set strong and unique passwords using your browser or password manager, and change them frequently. If you keep these small but crucial things in mind, your email account will always be protected from cyber criminals.
