How to set up and use Dark Web Monitoring

Every day it seems there are more breaches and hacks, some big, some small. Dashlane already alerts you to known breaches. But Dark Web Monitoring, available with Dashlane Premium, is a tool designed to constantly scan the web for your compromised personal information, and to allow you to take action to secure your accounts after a breach.

As its name suggests, Dark Web Monitoring scans the web for any leaked personal data and sends you alerts, so you can take immediate action to protect your accounts. You're able to monitor up to 5 email addresses. For each email address, Dashlane runs an initial scan that shows all currently findable instances of personal information related to that address.

The kinds of personal information searched typically include usernames and passwords, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, phone numbers, and postal and IP addresses.

After the initial scan, all instances of personal information found after data breaches are communicated to you via email, via popups within Dashlane, and finally through dark web alerts on your Identity Dashboard.

These alerts will prompt you to change your affected passwords, which are also then listed under Compromised passwords in the Password Health section of your application.

Note that Dark Web Monitoring is currently not available on the Web app.

You may also wish to consult Dark Web Monitoring – Frequently Asked Questions.

Setting up Dark Web Monitoring

On your Identity Dashboard, locate the Dark Web Monitoring module (see here for more information about the Identity Dashboard). Before it is set up, it should invite you to "Start scan".

Once you click on "Start scan", you will be prompted to enter in an email address you would like to use for the scan. You are allowed to scan and monitor up to five of your email addresses.

Once you have entered the email address you wish to use for the scan and clicked "Next", Dashlane will send a verification email to that address. You may close this popup once you've seen it.

Your next step is to log in and click on the link within that email, once you have verified that it is indeed your account, that you made the request, and that you wish to confirm the setup. Note that for security reasons this link is valid for only 24 hours.

As always, if you should have but did not receive the email, please check your spam folder.

When you click on "Yes, I confirm this request", you will be taken to a webpage with your Dark Web Scan results.

Your initial Dark Web Scan results

If you are fortunate enough for your scan to have found zero hits on your data, this is great news! The page will propose that you perform the scan using other email addresses.

Otherwise, you will be shown a page like the one below, indicating the number and kinds of your data that were found by the scan, and especially to which accounts they were linked.

You are encouraged to change the passwords of your compromised accounts by clicking on "Take action in Dashlane now".

Your Dark Web Monitoring alerts

Once Dark Web Monitoring is set up, you can always find the email addresses for which the monitoring is active by checking in your Identity Dashboard. Remember, to activate an email address you must verify the account through the email we send you. Before this has been completed, the email address will be marked "pending".

Once an address is active, your Dark Web Monitoring will constantly search for your compromised data, and will send you both an email and an in-app alert like the one below whenever it finds any.

And finally, you’re alerted in the Security alerts module of your Identity Dashboard.

A new alert will remain in your Identity Dashboard until you change those compromised passwords, or else choose to simply acknowledge the alert by clicking on the small "x" in the upper right-hand corner of the alert.