Proton Mail Unveils Dark Web Monitoring to Check for Leaks


Proton Mail has introduced a new feature to enhance the safety of its users’ online identities.

The new Dark Web Monitoring tool is designed to alert users about potential credential leaks, ensuring they can take immediate action to protect their accounts.

Here’s a detailed look at this innovative feature. Your email address is more than just a communication method; it’s your online identity.

Every time you sign up for an online service, you share your email, which could be compromised if hackers breach the service.

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With data breaches becoming increasingly common and billions of records leaked to the dark web annually, the need for vigilant monitoring is undeniable.

Recognizing this urgent need, Proton Mail has rolled out its Dark Web Monitoring tool for all users with a paid plan.

Orange notifications show breaches that affected your accounts but where either no password was leaked, or where your password was encrypted or strongly hashed
Orange notifications show breaches that affected your accounts but where either no password was leaked, or where your password was encrypted or strongly hashed

Key Features

  1. Integrated Monitoring: The Dark Web Monitoring tool is seamlessly integrated into the user’s Security Center in Proton Mail and the Security and Privacy settings, making it easily accessible and straightforward to manage.
  2. Comprehensive Scanning: The tool scans the dark web, mainly focusing on areas like hacking forums and marketplaces where stolen data is often bought and sold.
  3. Real-Time Alerts: Users receive real-time alerts if their credentials are found on the dark web.
  4. Coverage of Multiple Domains: Proton’s monitoring includes all 19 email domains, such as @pm.me and @protonmail.ch, ensuring comprehensive coverage and protection for a wide range of Proton email users.
  5. Expansion Plans: Proton Mail plans to expand the monitoring service to include recovery email addresses, further enhancing its users’ security measures and protection scope.
  6. Privacy-Centric Approach: Despite extensively scanning potentially compromised data, Proton Mail ensures that users’ privacy is not compromised.

Proton’s Dark Web Monitoring operates by scanning various hubs on the dark web, such as hacking forums and marketplaces.

These are notorious for their role in the buying and selling stolen data.

The tool searches these databases for any sign of the user’s email addresses from Proton’s 19 email domains (like @pm.me and @protonmail.ch).

It also checks for other information tied to these email addresses, such as stolen credit card details.

While scanning the dark web might raise privacy concerns, Proton Mail ensures that user privacy remains paramount.

The monitoring process is designed to be secure and respects the user’s privacy, meaning that personal data is handled with the utmost care and by strict privacy standards.

Proton Mail’s introduction of Dark Web Monitoring is a significant step forward in the fight against cyber threats and identity theft.

By providing users with timely alerts about potential credential leaks, Proton helps secure digital identities against increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks.

As cyber threats evolve, tools like Dark Web Monitoring are crucial in safeguarding our digital lives.

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