When Google sends you an email that states, “Your personal info was found on the dark web,” you had better take it seriously. I got just such an email over the weekend, landing in my inbox March 23. I hit the “review results” button; here’s what I discovered, along with how you can also be alerted to such data leaks by Google and why you should.
Google Dark Web Personal Information Leak Email Warning
Protecting your personal information is becoming harder and more challenging in the face of rapidly evolving security threats such as infostealer malware, ransomware, AI-powered attacks and vulnerabilities in Chrome and Windows. Your login credentials, the username and password you use to access your online accounts are the most valuable weapon in the attacker arsenal, and if they get compromised and shared around the criminal underworld, then you could be in big trouble. So, when you get an email from Google warning you of just such a scenario, it warrants your immediate attention.
A word of warning before I continue is required, however, as any email that creates a sense of panic and urgency, as being told your personal information has been found on the dark web might be expected to do, accompanied by a big “review results” button for you to click, must be treated with caution. After all, this is primary phishing scam territory, and I’m always saying not to click that button. In this case, though, the disclaimer is that you won’t have received the warning notification unless you have already signed up for Google’s dark web monitoring service.
I recommend you do just this, as it will check the dark web for any mention of your name, address, telephone number, email usernames or passwords and warn you if they are found in criminal breaches. “To be eligible for dark web reports,” Google said, “you must have a consumer Google Account.” That’s it; that is all it requires. The service isn’t available to Google Workspace accounts or supervised account holders.
What Google Said I Should Do In Light Of Dark Web Warning
Here’s what happens when you get a dark web information leak warning email from Google and hit the big blue results button. You are taken to your Google account, where you may be asked to sign in again for security reasons, and onward to the dark web monitoring service listings page. All breaches that have included your personal information are displayed in chronological order. The most recent one, in my case, referred to a “combolist” leak that is known as Alien Txtbase Part 1. This contains compromised usernames and passwords, collated and formatted so as to be easy for hackers to access and deploy. I was shown the email address in question along with a redacted password to help me identify the source of the leak, the account in question, in other words.
Google recommended that as the password was on the dark web and accessible to criminals, I should change this as soon as possible. Furthermore, it suggested that as one or more of my emails had been found in the dark web listing, I should set top two-factor authentication to protect access to my emails. All of this is good advice if you have any reason to believe any account details have been compromised in any way.
You know what to do: sign up for the Google dark web monitoring service today and act as soon as any account-identifying results come in.
