Hacking isn’t a new concept and these days sites seem to become compromised more regularly than ever, making it difficult for you to recognize which of your accounts may not be safe. That’s why Mozilla, the makers of the web browser Firefox are working on a fix.
Software engineer Nihanth Subramanya is working on a feature called Breach Alerts that will send you a notification if you click to a website that was involved in a hacking incident. Thanks to researcher Troy Hunt at HaveIBeenPwned, Firefox will know if the site you’re visiting has been hacked. HIBP’s database contains billions of records regarding whether a website has been hacked or leaked usernames and passwords in some way.
When you visit a website, the Breach Alerts feature will check in with HIBP to check if there are any recorded incidents on file. If so, a “doorhanger” notification will appear below the Firefox address bar (as seen in the image below). You can also enter your email address if you wish to be alerted by HIBP if your address appears in any of their new breaches.
While the Breach Alerts will only appear after a website has been hacked, it will still allow you to keep your accounts safe. If you receive a notification, take it as a warning to change your password. Although the feature is still in its experimental stage, we think it’s definitely an add-on that’s worth installing.
