If you realize that your personal information has been found on the dark web, you may be wondering how this could have happened. Your personal information could have ended up on the dark web through a data breach, a compromised account, a phishing scam or a malware infection. The dark web is part of the internet used by cybercriminals to buy and sell stolen information. Continue reading to learn how to tell if your personal information is on the dark web, how it got there and how to protect your identity.

Your small business should rely on a password manager to ensure your employees use strong passwords, to simplify onboarding and offboarding processes, securely share files, avoid potentially losing money from a cyber attack and improve employee productivity. A business password manager allows you and your employees to store and protect all passwords, with each employee having their own digital vault.

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), complex passwords that contain a variety of characters are strong, but the longer a password is, regardless of the types of characters, the more secure it is. Password length is generally more important than complexity because longer passwords are typically harder for cybercriminals to crack. That being said, you should also prioritize making your passwords complex for added security.

So far in 2024, many major companies have fallen victim to credential stuffing attacks. Some of these notable credential stuffing victims include Roku, Okta, General Motors and Levi’s. Credential stuffing attacks occur when a cybercriminal uses stolen login credentials to attempt to log in to multiple accounts simultaneously. Since many people reuse their passwords, cybercriminals can use stolen credentials to sign in to many accounts, compromising employee, customer and organizational data.

Phishing attacks occur when cybercriminals trick their victims into sharing personal information, such as passwords or credit card numbers, by pretending to be someone they’re not. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made it easier for cybercriminals to carry out phishing attacks by writing believable phishing messages, mimicking people’s voices, researching targets and creating deepfakes.

We recognize that federal agencies face a wide range of cyber threats in today’s hybrid and cloud work environment, which requires securing multiple endpoints. From nation-states to organized crime groups, adversaries are looking to steal data at the highest levels of government, and the stakes have never been higher. Protecting sensitive information, ensuring national security and safeguarding public trust all hinge on effective cybersecurity strategies.

A password generator is an online tool that automatically creates strong, random passwords at the click of a button. To create unique passwords, a password generator combines a variety of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Password generators dramatically ease the process of creating strong passwords by automatically producing random, lengthy ones – two qualities that make passwords more challenging for cybercriminals to crack.

You may be concerned if your Social Security number (SSN) was found on the dark web following the recent breach that, according to CNBC, exposed almost three billion SSNs. National Public Data, a company that conducts background checks, suffered a data breach involving SSNs, email addresses, phone numbers and home addresses. If your SSN was found on the dark web, you are most likely concerned about your identity being stolen.

Your internet search and browsing history can be seen by search engines, web browsers, websites, apps and hackers. You should protect your search and browsing history to keep your sensitive information, including your login credentials and financial data, safe from hackers. Continue reading to learn more about search and browsing history, who can see it and how you can keep it private.

There are several ways spyware can get on your phone, such as someone installing it without your knowledge, downloading content from unreliable sources, clicking on malicious links or installing invasive apps. Spyware is a form of malware installed by a cybercriminal to spy on you and steal your personal information. Each type of spyware is designed to do something different, like watch you through your camera, display unwanted advertisements or record your keystrokes.