The web can be a scary place to be. But that scary place is only the so-called "surface web" because down below, things can get scarier.
Beneath the underbelly of the internet, there is the "dark web," which is essentially a place that is only accessible using certain method and/or browser. There, criminals can gather without having much to worry about being tracked or traced. There, user data is a commodity, and is high in demand.
And among the many things that are being traded in the dark web, include people's credentials for logging in to online accounts.
Google, the tech titan, knows this, and this is why it has what it calls the "dark web scan" tool.
Initially, this tool is available only to its paying subscribers of Google One in the U.S..
This time, during its I/O conference, the company said that the tool is unleashed to all Gmail users.
According to Google in a blog post:
To use this feature, users must first set up a monitoring profile, by populating it with their personal information, like:
- Name.
- Address.
- Phone number.
- Email.
- Social Security number.
If users choose to set up a monitoring profile, dark web report will use that profile they created to scan the dark web to find any mention of the provided personal information.
"With the results, you can review your information and make informed decisions about how to protect yourself. You can edit or delete your monitoring profile at any time," said Google in a dedicated support page.
According to Google One Director of Product Management Esteban Kozak, in March when the feature was first announced:
The tool can then take action to protect users' data based on guidance provided by Google.
For instance, users can be advised to turn on two-step authentication to protect their Google accounts from hijacking attempts.
Google will also regularly notify Gmail users to check if their email has been linked to any past data breaches that ended up on dark web, underground cybercrime forums.
Google also said that all the personal information added to the profile can be deleted from the monitoring profile, or by removing the profile in the dark web report settings.
"Our commitment to keeping you safe online starts with building products that are secure by default, private by design and put you in control," said Google in the blog post. "And by combating the spread of online abuse, we provide you with reliable access to trustworthy information and content [...] "