Uncovered: Website Detects Stolen Passwords from Cyberattacks
In an era where cybercrime and security concerns have significantly grown, a valuable resource called "Have I Been Pwned?" (HIBP) has emerged as a vital tool to detect exposure from data breaches. Run by cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt, this website is trusted worldwide for its role in safeguarding internet users' personal information.
HIBP operates by securely matching your data against a vast database of breached credentials, without revealing your full passwords to the service. This process allows you to quickly find out if your passwords or accounts have been compromised online and take necessary action.
For password checks, HIBP employs a technique called k-anonymity to protect user privacy. When you input your password, only a partial hash prefix is sent to the server. The server then returns a list of compromised password hashes that match the given prefix, and your browser checks locally if your exact password hash appears in the breach data. This method ensures your password remains secret, as the full hash or password is never transmitted, minimising risk during the check.
In addition to password checks, HIBP also allows users to verify their email addresses or phone numbers for potential involvement in breaches. The tool lists the breaches where the data appeared, including what type of information was exposed.
Troy Hunt, the brains behind HIBP, emphasises the importance of never sharing personal data with third-party services. He advises that common sense should guide password creation, making them as unguessable as possible. Passwords should consist of varying upper case letters, numbers, and random symbols for enhanced safety.
Hunt also warns against using easily guessable passwords such as "p@ssword" or "P@ssword" and recommends against incorporating a user's name in passwords. To help users protect their accounts, Hunt created a new tool called Pwned Passwords, which sifts through 320 million leaked passwords.
However, Hunt stresses that users should never input a password they currently use into the website. Instead, he encourages the use of unique passwords for every online account to minimise the impact of data breaches. A 2016 report found that 4.2 billion records were breached online, highlighting the importance of strong password practices.
In the end, Hunt's ultimate goal for the service is to show that everyone should care about cyber security. By using HIBP and implementing strong password practices, internet users can significantly reduce their risk of falling victim to data breaches and cybercrime.
In the realm of robotics and innovation, Troy Hunt’s technology-driven project, HIBP, has made groundbreaking strides in the field of cybersecurity by offering a platform to check for potential breaches of accounts and personal data. Employing science-based techniques such as k-anonymity, HIBP ensures user privacy while providing invaluable information about exposure in data breaches.
