Proton has introduced a Dark Web Monitoring tool for all of its paid users, to bolster their accounts’ security and prevent potential damage.
The Dark Web Monitoring feature, as the name suggests, actively scans the dark web for any data related to its users. If it detects information that has been compromised and is circulating on the dark web, such as passwords, names, or other personal details, it automatically sends an alert to the affected user.
For instance, if you have registered for a third-party service, such as a social media platform, using your Proton Mail email address, and that service’s user data is later compromised by hackers, this feature will promptly notify you if your credentials are among those exposed.
“We use our own threat intelligence datasets that are also enriched with data from Constella Intelligence(new window), a leader in digital threat management. No user data is ever shared with third parties, but we do analyze reports from third parties any time they find leaked information or data stolen in a hack from a third-party online service that’s tied to a Proton Mail email address or a Proton Pass alias,” Proton’s blog reads.
The alerts include specifics about which service was breached and what type of personal information was exposed. This allows you to take necessary actions to protect your accounts before any damage occurs. Additionally, the feature provides recommendations on immediate actions the user can take to secure their accounts and protect their data from further unauthorized access.
“Dark Web Monitoring will show all known breaches that have affected your accounts over the last two years. While all breaches carry risks, we highlight the breaches you should prioritize with a red indicator. These breaches require immediate attention, typically to change passwords that were exposed as plaintext or weakly hashed(new window) (for example, using MD5),” Proton explains in its blog announcement.
To access these alerts, you’ll need to visit the Proton Mail Security Center on the web or desktop, at least for now. The company says it plans to include email and in-app notifications to make these alerts more readily accessible in future updates.