If you're concerned your usernames and passwords have been leaked, and your private data could be at risk on various sites, you can now check using a command line tool.
Called Shard, users can see if their username and password pairs are used on Facebook, Reddit, LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram, with originator Philip O'Keefe deciding to develop the software after finding his password was leaked during the recent LinkedIn hack.
The tool requires a certain level of technical know-how, and instructions on how to use the tool are available from the Github link.
It comes after a number of large-scale security breaches, including LinkedIn, where 117 million accounts were being traded on the dark web.
Security expert Troy Hunt recently claimed around 164 million unique email addresses had been compromised during the past few years, so the tool will likely act as a reminder to increase password security.
There have been a number of attempts to make passwords more secure following large-scale breaches. Google has suggested a 'trust score', which would factor in a number of personal identifiers including the way your voice sounds, facial recognition, location in relation to known Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth devices and typing speed.
TalkTalk is also allowing its customers to replace a numerical or linguistic password with voice recognition as part of a "long term strategy to ensure customer data is as secure as possible".
And a Rutgers University study suggested that 'doodling' a password was safer than typing one in.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
