How to Check if Your Login Credentials Were Compromised

Every month, thousands of accounts are compromised, and it's natural to wonder if yours is one of them. But you shouldn't have to wait for an error screen on the login page to find out. Google has come up with a solution called Password Checkup that can help you check if your login credentials have been compromised.

Install Password Checkup

To get started, open the Chrome browser on your computer and visit the Chrome Web Store. Search for “Password Checkup” in the search bar or simply click this link to go directly to the extension.

Once you're on the Password Checkup page, click on “Add to Chrome” to install the extension. This will enable Password Checkup to look for breached accounts in its data set.

Whenever you log in to your account on any website, Password Checkup will verify your credentials. If your account matches with any affected accounts in the data set, you'll receive a warning. In such cases, it is recommended that you change the password of that account immediately.

To test if the extension is working, visit any website and enter your username and password. If your credentials belong to a breached account, you'll receive a red alert. Fortunately, if you don't get any alert, it means your account is secure.

In case you do receive an alert, take it as a sign that your account has been compromised and change the password as soon as possible.

Enhancing Your Online Security

While Password Checkup is a useful tool, it does have its limitations. Currently, it only alerts you during the login process. However, it is still beneficial to keep the extension installed as it will notify you about breached accounts as they come to light.

To further enhance your online security, you can also manually search your account using services like Have I Been Pwned. This increases your chances of finding out about a breach before any potential data loss occurs. It would be helpful if Google adds a feature to allow users to manually search for their accounts in the future.

Remember, we can never guarantee complete security online, but we can certainly take steps to improve it. It's good practice to set long and hard-to-guess passwords for your online accounts. Additionally, avoid using the same password for all your accounts. Using a password manager app like LastPass is highly recommended.

Do you have any other suggestions for securing online accounts? Let us know in the comments below.

Read: Password Managers which store passwords locally