Dark Web Scan FAQs

The dark web is a part of the internet that isn’t indexed by normal search engines and typically requires special software (like Tor) to access. It’s often used for anonymity and, unfortunately, is also where stolen data, login credentials, and other sensitive information are frequently bought, sold, or traded.

Our Dark Web Scan checks your email addresses (and, where supported, your domains) against large collections of known data breaches and credential dumps, many of which originate from dark web forums, marketplaces, and other underground sources. When there’s a match, we show you where and when your data was exposed and what types of information were involved (for example: email, password, IP address, etc.).

No security tool can honestly guarantee 100% safety. A scan that finds no results means:

• Your data hasn’t been seen in the breach datasets we have access to.

• It may still be in undiscovered or private datasets, or in breaches that have not yet been made public.

Think of it as “no known problems”, not “no possible problems.” You should still follow good security practices like always using keystroke encryption, strong unique passwords, and multi-factor authentication.

Depending on the breach, you may see data such as:

• Email addresses

• Usernames

• Hashed or plain-text passwords

• IP addresses

• Phone numbers

• Physical addresses or other profile data

You can access our Dark Web Scan through our customer portal or mobile apps.

Portal Instructions:

1. Login to our customer portal at https://portal.advancedcybersecurity.com.

2. Click Dark Web Scan from the dashboard.

3. Enter the email address you wish to scan and click Run Scan.

Mobile App Instructions:

1. Open your keystroke encryption app (Keystroke Lock or EndpointLock).

2. From the app’s main screen tap Scan Your Email Now.

3. Enter the email address you wish to scan and tap Run Scan.

If a scan shows that your data has been exposed, our recommendations are:

1. Make sure you are using a computer of phone that has keystroke encryption active and then Immediately change the passwords for any affected accounts.

2. Ensure you’re using unique passwords for each site or service.

3. Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever it’s available.

4. Review recent activity on affected accounts for suspicious logins or transactions.

Changing your password does not erase the original breach data from the internet. Those old records can continue to circulate in dumps, lists, or dark web marketplaces for years.

The scan results are telling you: “This email and password were exposed at some point,” not “This is still your current password.”

The important thing is that you’ve already changed the password and that you had your keystroke encryption active when creating the new password.

Unfortunately, no one can fully remove data that has already been copied, traded, and redistributed across multiple underground communities.

What we can help you with is:

• Early detection that your data is out there.

• Guidance on remediation steps (password changes, MFA, account monitoring, etc.).

• Keystroke Encryption to ensure the new password you create is not stolen by keyloggers.

Think of Dark Web Scan as a smoke detector, not a fire extinguisher; it alerts you so you can respond quickly.

We take several steps to keep your data secure, including:

• Using encrypted connections between your device and our systems.

• Limiting scans to specific identifiers you provide (e.g., your email or domain).

• Storing results in a secured environment with access controls and logging.

• Applying privacy-preserving techniques (such as redacting sensitive fields where appropriate).

• We do not resell your scan results or use them for advertising.

Many large breaches remain valuable to attackers for years, especially if people reused passwords on multiple sites.

Even older data can still be used for things like:

• Credential-stuffing attacks (trying old email/password combos on many sites).

• Targeted phishing (“We know your password was X… click here to fix it.”).

So, while the breach may be old, it’s still important to treat it as a real risk and make sure none of the affected passwords are still in use anywhere.

You can always run a scan on demand from within our portal or apps.

Depending on your subscription, there may also be options for automated checks against updated breach data.