How to Set Up Dark Web Monitoring in 2026
Reviewed · Updated
Not legal or financial advice. Identity theft protection services reduce risk; they do not prevent all fraud.
Quick answer: Dark web monitoring alerts you when your email, passwords or SSN turn up in leaked data. It can't remove them. Have I Been Pwned and Mozilla Monitor watch your email for free, and Experian scans your SSN once for free (checked 10/16/2026). Pay only to watch more details, like bank and card numbers.
- Free: Have I Been Pwned and Mozilla Monitor check your email and alert you about new breaches. Experian's one-time scan covers your SSN and phone.
- Time: an email check takes a minute. Mozilla Monitor takes about five, with an email code.
- Pay when you want an SSN, bank and card numbers watched continuously, with insurance and recovery help. LifeLock's Core plan was $124.99/yr on 10/16/2026.
This is not legal or financial advice. If you’ve been a victim, start at IdentityTheft.gov.
What dark web monitoring does (and what it can’t)
When a company is breached, the stolen emails, passwords and Social Security numbers end up in files traded online. Dark web monitoring checks those files for the details you give it and sends an alert when one shows up.
It doesn’t take anything down. Aura’s terms say it “cannot remove” your information from the dark web, and LifeLock’s license agreement says the same. It also can’t promise full coverage. Norton, which runs LifeLock, writes that “no one can guarantee to monitor 100% of the dark web and private forums.”
So an alert is a prompt to act: change a password, freeze your credit. Google ended its own dark web report in 2026 for that reason. It said the report “didn’t provide helpful next steps.”
Step 1: Do it yourself for free
I ran the free tools with this site’s test email address on 10/16/2026. I didn’t enter a Social Security number, phone number or home address anywhere.
Check your email at Have I Been Pwned
Have I Been Pwned needs no account. Type an email and press Check. On 10/16/2026 its counters showed 1,045 breached websites and 17,846,363,019 breached accounts in its data.
Our test address came back clean. If yours shows breaches, the list tells you which site leaked and what kind of data. The Notify Me button signs you up for an email when your address appears in a future breach.
Get ongoing alerts from Mozilla Monitor
Mozilla Monitor does the same check and then keeps watching. The “Get free scan” button asks for an email, then a Mozilla account password and a 6-digit code it emails you. After that, the dashboard showed our results and promised an alert “if a new breach occurs.”
Free monitoring covers up to 20 email addresses, according to Mozilla’s support page. Its paid add-on, Monitor Plus, which removed people from data broker sites, shut down on December 17, 2025. I deleted the test account the same afternoon. It took two screens and the password.
Let your password manager flag leaked passwords
Your browser may already do this. Google’s Password Checkup, in Chrome or at passwords.google.com, flags saved passwords that are exposed, weak or reused. On a Mac, iPhone or iPad, the Passwords app can “alert you if they appear in known data leaks” when Detect Compromised Passwords is on, per Apple’s guide. Both check passwords, not your SSN.
Run a free SSN scan once
Experian offers a free, one-time scan of your Social Security number, email and phone number. Its page says the scan looks back to 2006 across more than 600,000 pages. You need a free Experian account and have to answer identity questions.
I couldn’t see the sign-up form. On 10/16/2026 it showed an antibot challenge to our connection, and I entered nothing.
Continuous SSN alerts are free elsewhere. Capital One’s CreditWise said on 10/09/2026 that it alerts you if your SSN or email is found on the dark web. You don’t need to be a Capital One customer.
Don’t wait for Google’s dark web report
If you used the dark web report in your Google account, it’s gone. Google stopped scanning on 01/15/2026 and removed the report on 02/16/2026, deleting its data the same day.
If a scan finds you
Follow IdentityTheft.gov’s checklist for the type of data that leaked:
- A password: change it, and the username if you can. Make it long and turn on two-factor authentication. If you used the same password anywhere else, change that too.
- Your SSN: freeze your credit at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. It’s free, and credit lock vs. credit freeze explains which to use. You can also check your work history in a my Social Security account and lock your number in E-Verify.
- Your SSN, one more free step: add a fraud alert. The FTC says you contact one bureau, which must tell the other two, and lenders then have to check with you before opening new credit. An initial alert lasts one year and can be renewed.
- Someone used your information: report it at IdentityTheft.gov and follow what to do if your identity is stolen.
Step 2: When doing it yourself isn’t enough
The free tools watch email addresses well. Beyond that, the coverage gets thin.
Experian’s SSN scan runs once. CreditWise watches your SSN and email. None of the free tools I checked lists continuous monitoring of a driver’s license, passport, bank account or card number.
There’s also no help after an alert. A free tool tells you something leaked. It doesn’t call your bank, pay a lawyer or reimburse costs. And each tool is one more login and one more email to watch.
If you only use one or two email addresses and freeze your credit, the free route may be all you need. A paid plan makes more sense when you want an SSN, bank and card numbers watched in one place, with someone to call after an alert.
Step 3: Use one service that does it for you
If you want more than your email watched, LifeLock is the service I’d look at first. It has the higher score of the two identity theft services we’ve reviewed, 8.1/10. Its cheapest plan, Core, lists Dark Web Monitoring and Breach Alerts.
Norton, which runs LifeLock, shows on its dark web monitoring page what you can add after your email. That list is for Norton 360 with LifeLock, and Norton says it varies by plan and country.
Read the limits before you pay. LifeLock’s license agreement says the service “only monitors and notifies you of information on the dark web,” and that LifeLock is “unable to remove” it.
What the free route lacks is in the plan. Core adds credit monitoring at two bureaus, a monthly report from one, and restoration help. Its insurance covers up to $25,000 in stolen funds and $25,000 in expenses, per the policy terms we read on 10/08/2026. The higher limits sit in Advanced and Total. What these policies pay for is in what identity theft insurance covers.
LifeLock also has a public record. The FTC fined it $12 million in 2010 over its protection claims and $100 million in 2015 for violating that order (ftc.gov).
Create your account
On 10/16/2026, Core cost $124.99 a year or $12.49 month to month. The 30-day trial needs a card, and the checkout asks for your Social Security number. On 10/08/2026 the checkout printed a 60-day refund window for annual plans and 14 days for monthly ones. Start the trial on LifeLock’s site:
Start LifeLock trialAffiliate link · how it works →
I haven’t seen the dashboard. On 10/08/2026 I stopped at the card and SSN step. The checkout showed $124.99 for Core with “Tax May Apply,” even with a New York ZIP. Prices, renewal and cancellation are in what LifeLock actually charges, is LifeLock free and the LifeLock review.
If you’d rather use another service
Aura’s plans list Account Breach Monitoring for online accounts you register and SSN and Personal Information Monitoring, which covers passports and your SSN. A separate feature watches your 401(k) and investment accounts for exposure.
Aura has the same limit as LifeLock. Section 3.1 of its terms says it monitors only the information you designate “and nothing else,” can’t remove it from the dark web, and won’t find every instance of it.
Aura’s plan adds three-bureau credit monitoring, a $1,000,000 insurance policy per adult and a fraud remediation team, per its pricing page. On 10/16/2026, Individual cost $12 a month billed yearly ($144) or $15 month to month, with a 14-day free trial. When I tried to sign up on 10/08/2026, Aura asked for a home address before the payment step, and I stopped there. Details are in what Aura actually charges and the Aura review.
Experian sells monitoring too. Its plan table lists “dark web surveillance” from its Core plan up, at $4.99 a month on 10/16/2026, and a one-time scan on the free plan. Compare the two services on LifeLock vs. Aura.
| Service | Our score | What it watches | Free trial | Lowest 1-year price | Data asked | Support (ET) | Reviewed on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LifeLock | 8.1/10 | Email first; SSN, IDs, bank and card numbers you add | 30 days, card needed | $124.99/yr | email, phone number, last 4 digits of SSN (phone-width checkout) or full SSN and date of birth (manual entry), name and address, card | 24/7 per LifeLock contact page | 10/08/2026 |
| Aura | 7.0/10 | Accounts you register, SSN and personal details, financial accounts | 14 days | $144/yr | email, name, home address (to verify identity), later steps not seen: Details and Payment | 24/7 per Aura contact page | 10/08/2026 |
Is paying worth it for you? See what’s free first on free credit monitoring, then compare paid plans on the best identity theft protection, ranked by our methodology.
See also
- Credit lock vs. credit freeze
- What to do if your identity is stolen
- Best credit monitoring services
- How to protect your Social Security number
What we checked
- Free tools, run with the site's test email on 10/16/2026: Have I Been Pwned (no account, 0 breaches); Mozilla Monitor (Mozilla account created, email code confirmed, scan showed no exposures, account deleted at 12:33 p.m. ET)
- Experian's free dark web scan page read 10/16/2026; its sign-up page showed an antibot challenge and I entered nothing. Google's dark web report notice, Google Password Checkup and Apple Passwords help read the same day
- IdentityTheft.gov's data breach checklist opened for passwords and Social Security numbers, 10/16/2026
- Aura: pricing page and terms of service §3.1 captured 10/16/2026. No account: enrollment stopped at the home address step on 10/08/2026
- LifeLock: plans page and Norton's dark web monitoring page captured 10/16/2026; license agreement read 10/08/2026. No account: the trial needs a card and an SSN
- User reports: none used. Reddit blocked our connection
- Where the run stopped: free tools run with the site's test email (Have I Been Pwned; Mozilla Monitor account opened, scanned and deleted 10/16/2026); Experian's free scan sign-up blocked by an antibot page; Aura and LifeLock from their public pages and our 10/08/2026 runs, no account
FAQ
What is dark web monitoring?
It's a service that searches leaked data for details you give it, such as your email, Social Security number or card numbers. It alerts you when one shows up. It can't remove anything: Aura's terms and LifeLock's license agreement both say so. What it buys you is time to change passwords and freeze your credit.
Is there a free dark web scan?
Yes. Have I Been Pwned checks an email address with no account, and Mozilla Monitor checks it and keeps watching for free after you create a Mozilla account. Experian offers a free one-time scan of your SSN, email and phone number with a free Experian account (checked 10/16/2026).
Does Google still have a dark web report?
No. Google stopped scanning for new dark web breaches on 01/15/2026 and removed the dark web report on 02/16/2026, according to its help page. It now points people to Password Checkup, Security Checkup and Results about you. Data from the report was deleted on 02/16/2026.
What should I do if my information is on the dark web?
Change the exposed password and any account where you reused it, and turn on two-factor authentication. If your SSN was exposed, freeze your credit at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, which is free. If someone already used your information, report it at IdentityTheft.gov to get a recovery plan.
What does Norton dark web monitoring monitor?
Norton says its monitoring starts with your email address. You can then add your SSN, date of birth and driver's license number. It also takes up to 5 emails, 5 phone numbers and 5 addresses, and up to 10 bank account and 10 card numbers. That list is for Norton 360 with LifeLock, and Norton says it varies by plan and country.
Is paid dark web monitoring worth it?
Only if you want more than your email watched. The free tools I checked cover email addresses well, but none watches a passport number, driver's license or bank account numbers continuously. Paid plans add that, plus insurance and recovery help. Neither paid service can remove your data from the dark web.