Malwarebytes Expands Free Offerings to Protect Each Person’s Entire Digital Life Across Identity, Privacy, and Security
Malwarebytes, a global leader in real-time cyber protection, today announced the launch of Malwarebytes Digital Footprint Portal a web portal that gives individuals deep visibility into their exposed personal information, including clear text passwords. Now, anyone can easily see where and when a breach compromised their data, types of data exposed, and specific personal data for sale on the dark web. The web portal also includes clear, actionable recommendations to reduce the resulting risks of identity theft, financial harm or reputation damage.
“At Malwarebytes, we believe everyone has the right to a secure digital life, no matter their budget, which is why our malware removal tool was free when it launched and remains free today. Our free ad blocker, Browser Guard, is also used by more than 13 million people to block scams and malware and protect their privacy,” said Marcin Kleczynski, Founder and CEO of Malwarebytes. “Today, I am proud to add to our legacy of empowering individuals regardless of their wallet by releasing a new, free product that educates and prepares people from the risk of compromised personal data leading to identity and financial theft.”
Malwarebytes Digital Footprint Portal scans a wide range of sources — including the dark web, chat rooms, social media, underground forums, databases, and more — to identify any exposed data related to an individual’s email address or associated accounts. After the scan is complete, users receive a personalized report summarizing their exposed information and providing recommendations for protection.
“Despite an increasingly dangerous digital landscape, a secure digital life should be attainable for all. Our mission is to ensure an individual’s private details remain private and their identity their own,” said Oren Arar, Vice President, Consumer Privacy at Malwarebytes. “We’ve already seen great traction in our preview trials of the Digital Footprint Portal, with more than a million individuals uncovering their exposed personal information and taking actions to future-proof their digital lives.”
During preview trials of Digital Footprint Portal earlier this year, Malwarebytes found that:
- 60% of those who conducted a scan discovered plain-text passwords previously exposed.
- Half of users found their full name exposed (as associated with their email address).
- 41% found their date of birth exposed, while 26% had a phone number exposed.
- 9% of users found their email address associated with a botnet.
- Following the AT&T data breach of 73 million personal records, the percentage of users with social security numbers exposed increased to almost 15% — up from less than 1%.
Delivering a Complete Picture of Digital Identity Exposure
By scanning a wider array of sources and providing deeper analysis compared to other tools, Malwarebytes Digital Footprint is one of the most comprehensive free scanning solutions available to consumers today. Unlike other scans, the Malwarebytes Digital Footprint Portal shows users the exact passwords and personal information previously exposed. The scan can include an individual’s general information (date of birth, address, phone number), sensitive personal information (social security number, driver’s license number), online digital identifiers (usernames, passwords, devices, networks), financial information (credit card details, bank account information, credit score, salary, estimated net worth, crypto wallet addresses), and more. Malwarebytes also allows users to check if botnets infected their computers by scanning their email and associated accounts.
Because data breaches and information leaks happen constantly, Malwarebytes continuously updates its sources with millions of exposed records every day. Malwarebytes Identity Theft Protection subscribers also receive continual monitoring and automatic alerts for any newly detected exposures.
Digital Footprint: Ensuring Privacy by Default
To ensure the utmost privacy when using the Digital Footprint Portal, Malwarebytes requires that users validate their email addresses before scanning sources or displaying any potentially sensitive data. Highly sensitive information, such as credit cards or social security numbers, is never fully revealed. The data also does not persist on Malwarebytes’ infrastructure and is not tied to a specific user. Additionally, the data is encrypted in transit from the database until it reaches the user’s screen.
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