Dark Web Scan: How to Check If Your Information Is Exposed
You do not need to browse the dark web to check. These are the safe, free ways to find out whether your information has leaked.
By Siddharth ShankarUpdated October 11, 2026A dark web scan compares your email, phone number or ID details with known leaked data. The safest free method is a breach lookup such as Have I Been Pwned, or Mozilla Monitor, which uses the same data. Never enter your Social Security number or full card number into a free scan site. A clear result does not guarantee nothing has leaked.
Your email may already be in a known data breach. Find out in about 30 seconds.
Free · About 30 seconds · No sign-up · Email not stored
When people search for a "dark web scan", they usually want one answer: has my information leaked? You can get a useful answer in a few minutes without going near the dark web. This guide covers how.
For a comparison of ongoing paid services, see dark web monitoring: what it can and cannot do.
What a "scan" really is
A dark web scan is not a live crawl of hidden websites on your behalf. In practice it is a lookup of your details against collections of known leaked data, most of which come from publicly documented breaches. Services differ in which collections they hold and which identifiers you can search.
Method 1: check your email in a breach database
Have I Been Pwned (HIBP) describes itself as a free resource to quickly assess whether you may have been put at risk. It tells you which breaches an email address appears in. Searches handle one address at a time, and bulk lists are not available.
1Search your email address
Enter each address you use, including old ones. Note the breach name, date and data types.
2Look for flags
HIBP marks entries such as unverified, spam list, malware and stealer logs. Treat each flag as context for how reliable the entry is. See what a stealer log breach is.
3Check sensitive breaches if you have access
HIBP does not show sensitive breaches in public searches. Only the verified owner of the address can see them after signing in.
4Subscribe to Notify Me
This emails you about future breaches for that address.
Method 2: Mozilla Monitor
Mozilla Monitor gets its breach data from HIBP. You can check an email without an account, and alerts and the detailed report need a Mozilla account. Mozilla has ended the paid Monitor Plus and its data broker scans, so use it only for breach checks.
Method 3: check passwords safely
Pwned Passwords tells you whether a password appears in breach data. It uses k-anonymity: your password is hashed on your side, and only the first five characters of the hash are sent. Do not type a password you currently use into any unfamiliar website.
Do not guess. See which breaches include your email and what leaked.
Free · About 30 seconds · No sign-up · Email not stored
Method 4: use a scan that also covers your wider exposure
Breach data covers only part of your exposure. Public listings, people-search sites and old accounts sit outside breach collections. A digital footprint check looks at that wider picture.
Be careful with "free scan" tools
Some sites that advertise a free dark web scan ask for sensitive details they do not need. Use these rules:
- Never enter a Social Security number, passport number or full card number into a scan.
- Prefer tools run by organizations you can identify and whose privacy terms you can read.
- Be wary of tools that show alarming results and then push you towards a purchase. Verify claims independently.
The FTC also warns that emails saying your information is for sale on the dark web may be phishing. See how to tell if a data breach notice is real or phishing.
What a scan result means
- A match: your data appeared in a known collection. Follow what to do after your email appears in a breach.
- No match: you are not in the collections that tool holds. HIBP says that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, because some breaches are never released or detected.
What happened to Google's dark web report
Google stopped scanning for new dark web breaches on 15 January 2026 and ended the report on 16 February 2026. Google points to Security Checkup, passkeys and Password Checkup for similar protection.
Sources
- Have I Been Pwned: FAQs (sensitive breaches, breach flags, Notify Me)
- Have I Been Pwned: API documentation (Pwned Passwords k-anonymity, first 5 hash characters)
- Mozilla: Monitor Plus has shut down (data broker scans ended; breach alerts remain)
- Google: Updates to the dark web report (scan and report end dates)
Frequently asked questions
Is a dark web scan safe?
A lookup of your email in an established breach database is low risk. Avoid any scan that asks for sensitive numbers.
Do I need to search the actual dark web?
No. It adds risk without giving you reliable results. Breach databases collect much of the same data from public sources.
How often should I scan?
Subscribe to breach alerts for continuous coverage, and run a manual check a few times a year or after news of a major breach.
Can a scan find my phone number or address?
Some tools check phone numbers, but coverage is patchy. Public listings of addresses and numbers are better found through a footprint check than a breach scan.
What if my email appears in many breaches?
It is common. Focus on the most recent ones and the ones that included passwords, and secure your accounts.
See if your email has already leaked
- Checks your email against known data breaches
- Shows which sites leaked it, when, and what leaked
- We do not store the email you check
Change reused and leaked passwords
NordPass flags weak and reused passwords, and its Premium plan alerts you if your details appear in new breaches.
See NordPass →Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Prefer a one-time report first? Scan My Shadow, our sister service, $9.99.