HOUSTON – Do you want to know if your personal information has been compromised in a hack? There is an easy way to check.
"Haveibeenpwned" is an internet security website created by security expert Troy Hunt. "Pwn" is internet jargon we're pronouncing "poened" that means to compromise or take control of a computer or application.
Whenever a data breach is confirmed and hackers release your personal information online, Hunt collects the information and makes it searchable on the website. All you have to do is enter your email or user name to find out if your information was part of a data breach. Consumer expert Amy Davis checked her personal email address she's had for at least 20 years and "Haveibeenpwned" told her that her address was involved in three large data breaches.
In 2008, it was part of a My Space breach that exposed almost 360 million accounts, revealing addresses, passwords and usernames.
In May of this year, it was part of the LinkedIn data breach. The most concerning incident supposedly happened in July. The site reveals Davis' information was part of a hack into a global payment and merchant account provider. In the breach, credit card security numbers and partial card numbers were exposed among other personal data.
If you find that your information has been compromised, you should change your password associated with your email and for accounts where you used the same password. In some cases, the businesses may have already alerted you and asked you to do that or they may have sent you a new credit card to prevent fraudulent charges.
