Tips: How to use Have I Been Pwned?

Have I Been Pwned? is a website that allows Internet users to check whether their personal data has been compromised in a data breach. The service allows you to search for your own information by entering an email address or phone number to see if it was in a breach and warrants additional action. 

Checking your Email Address and Phone Number

1. Enter haveibeenpwned.com/ in your browser.

Image titled Have I Been Pwned Home Page Enter Email address.png

 

2. Enter your email address or phone number into the box.

Image titled Have I Been Pwned Click pwned.png

 

3. This will search the database to see if your email address or phone number has been compromised.

Image titled Have I Been Pwned results.png

 

4. Review the results. If your email address or phone number was found in a breach, then you will see red screen with the message saying,

"Oh no - Pwned!" You can scroll down to see the list of data breaches and pasts that you were involved in.

  • If your email address was not involved in a data breach, then you will see a green screen that says, "Good news - no pwnage found!"
    • Just because your email address was not found does not necessarily mean that it was never involved in a data breach, it just means that it was not found in Have I Been Pwned.
  • If you were involved in a breach, then you should change the password for the sites that it says that you were breached in and change the password anywhere else you used it if your password was also leaked in the breach.

 

For more information visit villanova.edu/ITSecurity

Questions or concerns? Contact the UNIT Help Desk at support@villanova.edu

#BeCyberSmart

Details

Article ID: 145035
Created
Wed 3/29/23 11:34 AM
Modified
Thu 4/13/23 9:04 AM