Proton Mail adds Dark Web Monitoring to its data leak detection service

Proton has unveiled its Dark Web Monitoring service for credential leaks, a security feature now available to all users on a paid Proton plan. The service scans concealed areas of the internet for Proton Mail email addresses that have surfaced in illegal data markets. In the event of a detected breach affecting an account used to register on a third-party website, the user will receive a security alert and suggested actions to reduce the risk.

The increasing frequency of data breaches underscores the importance of such alerts, as they enable users to secure their accounts, prevent identity theft, and avoid financial losses. Stolen data is frequently sold to criminals on the dark web, a segment of the deep web that is inaccessible with standard web browsers and requires special software, like the Tor Browser, for access.

Proton's dark web detection operates continuously, scanning dark web hubs linked to illegal activities such as hacking forums and markets. It searches databases for emails involved in data breaches that use a Proton email domain and any other information linked to these email addresses, such as stolen credit card details.

Proton explains that “No user data is ever shared with third parties, but we do analyze reports from third parties any time they find leaked information or data stolen in a hack from a third-party online service that’s tied to a Proton Mail email address or a Proton Pass alias.”

Proton's monitoring extends beyond Proton Mail email addresses found in data breaches affecting third-party websites. It also detects breaches impacting custom domain emails, recovery email addresses, and Proton VPN, Proton Drive, and Proton Pass accounts registered with external email addresses.