Dark web monitoring scans the hidden marketplaces and forums where stolen personal data gets traded, and alerts you when yours appears. It can't pull your data back off the dark web, nothing can, but it tells you what's exposed, so you can change the locks before someone uses it.
How your information ends up on the dark web
Mostly through data breaches, and that part isn't your fault. Every company that holds your email, password, or Social Security number is a place it can leak from, and billions of records have leaked over the years. You can do everything right and still be in a breach; the question isn't whether some of your data is out there, it's which pieces, and whether you'll hear about it before a fraudster acts on it.
What monitoring watches for
- Email addresses and the passwords leaked alongside them.
- Your Social Security number.
- Driver's license and passport numbers.
- Credit and debit card numbers.
- Login credentials for online accounts.
What to do when you get an alert
- Change the password on the exposed account, and anywhere else you reused it. Reuse is how one leak becomes ten.
- Turn on two-factor authentication for the account if you haven't.
- If your SSN is exposed, consider freezing your credit at all three bureaus; it's free and makes it much harder for someone to open most new credit accounts in your name. Our guide on how to freeze your credit has each bureau's link and phone number.
- Keep an eye on your credit reports for accounts or inquiries you don't recognize.
What it can't do
An honest note: no one can remove data from the dark web, and no scan sees all of it. The value of monitoring is entirely in the early warning. Exposed credentials are only dangerous while they still work, and an alert is your cue to make them worthless.
Allstate Identity Protection is offered and serviced by InfoArmor, Inc., a subsidiary of The Allstate Corporation. Products and features are subject to change. Certain features require additional activation and may have additional terms.
Common questions
Can my information be removed from the dark web?
No, once data is copied and traded there, it can't be pulled back. What you can do is make it useless: change exposed passwords, add two-factor authentication, and freeze your credit, which makes it much harder for someone to use a leaked SSN to open most new credit accounts.
Is my Social Security number already on the dark web?
Given the scale of major breaches, it's possible for almost anyone. That's not a reason to panic, it's a reason to freeze your credit, watch your reports, and treat alerts as a prompt to act rather than proof of theft.
Does a dark web alert mean someone has stolen my identity?
Not by itself. It means a piece of your data is circulating, which is your window to change credentials and lock things down before anyone uses it. Signs of actual theft show up as unfamiliar accounts or inquiries on your credit report; our guide on how to spot identity theft on your report covers what to look for.
