Breach Monitoring

Have I Been Pwned Setup Guide

Instantly check whether your email or passwords have been exposed in a data breach.

Visit Have I Been Pwned →
Why we recommend this

Data breaches happen constantly, often without your knowledge, and Have I Been Pwned is the trusted, free way to find out if you've been affected. Setting up free ongoing alerts takes less than a minute and means you'll hear about future breaches right away.

Price
Free (monitoring $3.50/mo)
Platform
Web
Best For
Checking if your email or passwords appear in data breaches
Difficulty
Very Easy

Setup Guide

1

Go to haveibeenpwned.com

No account is required for a basic check. Enter your email address and press Enter.

Step 2 — Have I Been Pwned results page listing breaches
3

Act on breaches

For each breach shown, change your password on that service immediately. If you reused that password anywhere else, change it there too.

Step 3 — Example breach detail card with affected data types
4

Set up free monitoring

Click “Notify me” at the top of the page, enter your email, and confirm via the verification email. You'll now get automatic alerts for any future breaches.

Step 4 — Notify Me signup form on Have I Been Pwned

Do's and Don'ts

Do

  • ✓Check every email address you use
  • ✓Change passwords for every breached account
  • ✓Set up free monitoring alerts
  • ✓Also check your passwords at haveibeenpwned.com/passwords (Pwned Passwords)

Don't

  • ✕Don't ignore breach notifications — act within 24 hours
  • ✕Don't reuse passwords across sites, since this is why breaches spread
  • ✕Don't panic — a breach listing means the data was exposed, not necessarily that your account was actively hacked

Pro Tips

Pro Tips

  • Check every email address you use, including old ones you might have forgotten.
  • The Pwned Passwords tool checks if a specific password has appeared in breaches — never enter your current password anywhere other than the actual login page.
  • Troy Hunt, the creator, is a respected security researcher — this is a legitimate, trusted service.
  • Many password managers, including Bitwarden and 1Password, now integrate HIBP breach checking automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to enter my email on this site?
Yes — it's run by a well-known security researcher and trusted by law enforcement agencies worldwide.
What does “pwned” mean?
It means your data appeared in a known data breach — your email and possibly your password were exposed.
What should I do if I'm pwned?
Change the password on the breached service immediately, and if you used that password elsewhere, change it there too.
How does the breach database work?
Organizations report or discover breaches, and Troy Hunt verifies them before adding them to the database.
Is this the same as identity theft?
Not necessarily — a breach means your data was exposed. Actual fraud is a separate step that may or may not follow.

Resources

Want help getting this set up?

OhanaSecure can walk you and your family through it, step by step.

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