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Have I Been Pwned (accessible at haveibeenpwned.com) is a website created to help users verify if their personal data has been involved in online security breaches, known as data breaches.
The service was launched in 2013 by cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt and today is considered one of the most reliable and widely used tools globally for monitoring data leaks.
What “pwned” means
The English term pwned (derived from owned) is used in computer jargon to indicate that an account has been compromised, meaning it has been breached or exposed due to a hacker attack or data loss.
Have I Been Pwned
The name "Have I Been Pwned?" is based on the term "pwn" in script kiddie slang, which means to "compromise or take control, specifically of another computer or application."
What Have I Been Pwned is for
The site allows you to:
- verify if an email address has appeared in one or more known data breaches
- check if a password has already been publicly exposed
- receive automatic alerts in case of future violations
- increase awareness of online security risks
In practice, Have I Been Pwned helps users understand when it is necessary to change passwords or secure their accounts.
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| Screenshot of the site https://haveibeenpwned.com |
How email checking works
By entering your email address in the search field of the site, you can find out if that email appears in archives of stolen data from:
- social networks
- streaming services
- forums
- e-commerce
- various types of online platforms
The result indicates which services were breached, when the breach occurred, and what type of data was exposed (email, passwords, phone numbers, etc.).
Password checking
Have I Been Pwned also offers a section dedicated to passwords, called Pwned Passwords.
Here you can check if a password is already present in databases of stolen passwords.
The system uses a technique called k-anonymity, which allows for checking without sending the full password, thus ensuring user privacy.
Learn how to do it in Python
If you're interested in understanding how to verify a password using the k-anonymity method, I recommend checking out the article Checking if a password has been compromised with Python and Have I Been Pwned.
If a password is found to be compromised, it is strongly recommended to no longer use it.
Is it safe to use Have I Been Pwned?
Yes. The site is considered reliable by the cybersecurity community and is also used by:
- companies
- government agencies
- IT professionals
Have I Been Pwned does not sell data, does not require mandatory registration, and does not store the searches performed by users.
What to do if your data has been breached
If you discover that your email or password has been involved in a breach, it is important to:
- immediately change the password of the affected account
- use different passwords for each service
- activate two-factor authentication (2FA)
- monitor for any suspicious activity
Conclusion
Have I Been Pwned is a simple yet powerful tool to improve your digital security.
In an era where data breaches are increasingly frequent, periodically checking your accounts is a good habit to protect your online identity.
Checking if you have been “pwned” is the first step toward regaining control of your digital security.
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