Try Aura's free Dark Web scan

The Dark Web is a collection of websites, forums, chat rooms, and marketplaces that aren't accessible using standard web browsers or search engines like Google and Bing. Instead, Dark Web sites are hosted on anonymized URLs that can only be accessed using specialized tools, such as the Tor browser, which hide the user's identity and location.

This level of anonymity makes the Dark Web a perfect tool for scammers, hackers, and cybercriminals that buy and sell personal data, passwords, and sensitive information, or even illicit drugs, malware, and other cyberthreats.

However, the Dark Web isn't only used for illegal purposes. Whistleblowers and journalists also use the Dark Web to maintain anonymity in the face of persecution for their work.

Data breaches are the most common way that your personal information will end up on the Dark Web.

Hackers infiltrate secure databases, steal sensitive information — such as your passwords, financial details, SSN, or even medical information — and then post them for sale on Dark Web marketplaces.

Some hackers may take a more individualized approach and use phishing scams or malware to steal personal information to sell on the Dark Web.

The anonymous nature of the Dark Web makes it perfect for buying and selling sensitive stolen information, including:

• Contact details, including your email, phone number, or home address.
• Personal information, such as your full name, date of birth, social profiles, and SSN.
• Financial data, including your bank account number and details, cryptocurrency wallet login credentials, and credit card numbers.
• Logins and passwords for your email, social media, banking, and other sensitive online accounts.
• Scans of physical IDs and documents, such as your driver's license, passport, and birth certificate.

Sensitive data is relatively inexpensive on the Dark Web, with some sources showing SSNs for sale for as little as $1 – $6 and credit card details from $10 – $40.

Unfortunately, no. Once your sensitive information is on the Dark Web, it's almost impossible to remove it. Data is also likely to be repackaged, shared, and spread across multiple sites and forums.

Rather than try to remove your leaked data, it's better to proactively protect yourself against how that stolen data can be used to target you.

Note: In most cases, it's unsafe to attempt to access the Dark Web yourself. Many forums hosting stolen and leaked data are also home to hackers and cybercriminals who may try to infect your device with malware or target you with phishing and other cyberattacks.

If a Dark Web monitoring tool such as Aura alerts you that your PII has been leaked, you should take immediate action to secure your compromised accounts and protect yourself against illegal activity.

• Freeze your credit with all three major bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion)
• Check your credit reports for signs of fraud, or sign up for a credit monitoring service
• Report the theft of your SSN to the Social Security Administration (SSA)
• Secure your accounts with strong passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA) to prevent unauthorized access
• Scan your devices for malware or ransomware and take additional security measures to remove threats
• Continually monitor for further warning signs of identity theft

We use your email to search for personal data leaked to the Dark Web that is tied to your email address. According to data from the 2025 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, email addresses were present in 61% of all breaches in 2025.

Because email addresses are often reused for multiple accounts, hackers use them to connect data from multiple breaches and create a fuller dossier on their victims.

Your scan results are shown here instantly, and we do not store a copy of your specific findings. To help us improve our service, we only retain anonymous, aggregated information about scan activity — like the number of results found — which cannot be linked back to you.

We save the email address you provided to stay in touch with news and marketing updates, and do not sell your personal scan data. For full details on our practices, please see our Privacy Policy.

Aura is an online safety company that helps protect your personal and financial information, devices, and online reputation. Aura combines Dark Web monitoring services, identity theft protection, credit alerts, and device cybersecurity in one product.

Compared to competitors like LifeLock, NordProtect, McAfee, and IdentityForce, Aura monitors the most personal information across the Dark Web and data breaches.

As an Aura member, you get access to:

• Identity monitoring: Tracks your personal information (name, email, SSN, and more) across the Dark Web, data brokers, and public records, with near real-time alerts of vulnerabilities and data leaks.
• Credit monitoring: Provides the fastest notifications of suspicious activity and potential threats in your credit files, like loans or accounts opened in your name.³
• Data Broker Opt-Out (DBOO): Paid users can trigger automatic opt-outs from 200+ sites that sell or share your data. Aura rescans these databases every day. The removal process may take up to 30 days, depending on the data broker's response time.
• Antivirus and VPN: Available across an unlimited number of devices on both the Family and Kids plans.
• Password manager: Stores and syncs your passwords across all devices. Aura alerts you to data breaches and updates weak or compromised passwords with one click.
• $1 million identity theft insurance per adult: Covers eligible identity theft losses, including stolen funds or legal fees. Eligible Aura members can increase their coverage limits to include title theft, HSA and 401(k) cash recovery, and more.

Aura pulls all this into a single app so you can monitor and act quickly when something's wrong.

Yes — but not during this free scan. Aura's paid subscription includes 24/7 Dark Web monitoring and data breach alerts to warn you if your information has been leaked or appeared on an illicit Dark Web site.

Aura also provides guidance and dedicated support to help proactively protect you against how your leaked data can be used by identity thieves, scammers, and hackers. You can try Aura free for 14 days.