Kevin C. Wong

Firefox Monitor [+]

Firefox Monitor is a free service that notifies you when a data breach has been reported and logged by Have I Been Pwned which unfortunately might mean it can take years since the data breach has to be verified. Still, I signed up for it and these are the nine existing data breaches reported:

Adult FriendFinder (2016) - I went there and they don't have a record of my email address. Fairly sure I didn't have an account there (and breach data might have records from other breaches or from wherever; it's not like criminals are worried about data integrity).

EatStreet (2019) - I did have an account there though not in my keychain. Changed password.

Evite (2013) - I had changed my password recently, probably from an Evite notice.

Verifications.io (2019) - I think a data aggregator so I don't have an account there, they just have a lot of my personal info.

MyFitnessPal (2018) - I think I got a notice from MFP and changed my password after the breach.

Disqus (2012) - They don't know my email address.

Kickstarter (2014), Dropbox (2012), LinkedIn (2012) - I remember getting notifications and changing my passwords then. But since I haven't changed my password in years I did so again.


For each breach Firefox Monitor lists things you can do to mitigate this breach and similar future breaches, example from the Verifications.io breach:

  • Use a service that masks your IP address
  • Avoid sharing your phone number
  • Avoid using personal info in PINs
  • Avoid using addresses in passwords

Even though the advice is generic each breach page only lists relevant mitigators so you're not overwhelmed. You can then mark the breach resolved.

Overall it's easy to use and a valuable service.