Firefox's Best New Tool? It's Not the Browser

Mozilla has partnered with Australian security researcher Troy Hunt to create a user-friendly service where users can check whether or not their passwords and email addresses have been exposed in data breaches. Mozilla’s new tool, called Firefox Monitor, accesses to Hunt’s Have I Been Pwned database of billions of emails exposed in data breaches.

The free Firefox Monitor service functions much like Hunt’s Have I Been Pwned. You can search for your email address in the service’s search box, and if the address and its password have been part of a data breach, you’ll be shown when that breach happened and which service, specifically, was compromised.

The tool can also proactively alert you if your email address is part of a new data breach. This should give you time to change your passwords for exposed accounts quickly.

MORE: What to Do After a Data Breach

Hunt’s Have I Been Pwned database often includes compromised email addresses from new data breaches that haven’t yet been made public. Security researchers sometimes tell him if they've found evidence of a new data breach, or if they've seen stolen credentials sold on underground markets. The Firefox Monitor gives Hunt's database a wider audience wider than he can reach with Have I Been Pwned alone.

Firefox Monitor might even be able to tell you about a breach even when a company keeps the breach secret. Some companies keep quiet for weeks or months until they have figured out what happened. (If a breach affects customers in Europe, however, new GDPR rules mandate notification within 48 hours.)

Other recent new features from Mozilla hint that security and privacy are some of the company's top priorities going into the future. 

This story was originally posted on Tom's Hardware.

TOPICS
Lucian Armasu
Lucian Armasu is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He covers software news and the issues surrounding privacy and security.
Latest in Browsers
Google Chrome on Android
How to stop your personal data from appearing in Google searches
Opera Air
I just tested the world’s first mindful browser — it’s calmly convinced me to ditch Google Chrome
A photo of the Google Chrome logo on a white background, displayed on the screen of a large MacBook Pro which is situated on a table with green foliage behind.
Google Chrome just got three new modes — and it's a game changer for performance
Google Calendar app on iPhone
Google Calendar just got the dark mode we’ve been waiting for — here’s how to activate it
Image of an Apple MacBook with a Google Chrome logo on the display
This new Google Chrome upgrade made me say 'whoa' out loud — and it's a game changer
Two Opera Browser Days attendees standing in front of a screen displaying the Opera logo
How Opera is challenging Google by putting privacy first
Latest in News
Try Galaxy home screen on iPhone 16 Pro Max
You can now try Samsung's latest One UI 7 software on your iPhone — here's how
Asus ROG Ally X
Xbox handheld reportedly being made with Asus — all to take on Steam Deck
A person typing on a laptop with warning messages displayed on screen
240 million Windows users under attack — update your PC now before hackers strike
Genshin Impact on a OnePlus Nord 4
Genshin Impact on Android finally adds controller support — 4 years after iOS
A render of the iPhone 17 Pro Max
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max just tipped for this performance secret weapon
Google Play logo on an android smartphone with corner hole punch camera
At least 5 North Korean spy apps have been found on Google Play — what you need to know