← ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8

Checking whether an account appears in a data breach

A website or alert that tells you if your email address appeared in a known data breach, so you can change the password for any affected account.

Part of: ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8 — Networks and Cyber Threats — Module 36

Understanding Checking whether an account appears in a data breach in ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8

What it does: Checking an email address is enough to see if it was in a breach. A trustworthy checker never asks for your password. The alert is a signal to act. Changing the password stops attackers using the leaked one to get into the account. Change the password for each affected account. Do it straight away, and change it anywhere else you used the same password. A clear result only covers the breaches the checker knows about. You still need strong passwords and other protections. Use a trusted, well-known checker or an alert from your own account or browser. Be careful of fake sites that try to steal your details.

Common mistakes: A breach checker needs only your email address. You should never type your password into it. Line 1 should be: enter email address only. If the email was found in a breach, you must change the password for the affected account. Ignoring the result leaves the account at risk. It should be change_password().

Class: _____________________ · Name: _____________________ · Date: _________

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 674–695) and word search (Modules 635–695).

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Learning

Duo

A breach-checking website asks what you should enter to see if your account was in a known data breach. Which is right?

Your email address and your current passwordOnly your email address

Matches

Enter email: sam@example.com Enter password: Tiger123

↓

A breach checker should only ask for your email address. Typing in your password gives it to a site that could be fake.

Applying

Meanings

Term

breach checker

Meaning

A website or alert that tells you if your email address appeared in a known data breach, so you can change the password for any affected account.

Practice

email ← "sam@example.com"

Testing

Gaps

result ← (email)

Check Answer

Spots

1enter email and password

2result = check(email)

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Quick Questions

1. A breach-checking website asks what you should enter to see if your account was in a known data breach. Which is right?

A. Your email address and your current password

B. Only your email address ✓

A breach checker only needs your email address. Never type your password into a checker, because that could give it away.

2. Your email address appears in the results of a breach checker. What does this tell you?

A. Your device has been hacked right now

B. Your details were in a known data breach, so you should act ✓

The result says your email address was found in a leaked data set from a breach. It does not mean your device is hacked at this moment, but you should still take action.

3. The breach checker says the breach included the site 'GameZone'. What should you do next?

A. Change the password for your GameZone account ✓

B. Delete your email address

Change the password for each affected account. Do it straight away, and change it anywhere else you used the same password.

4. A breach checker shows 'No breach found' for your email address. What does that mean?

A. Your email was not in any known breach in its list ✓

B. Your accounts can never be hacked

A clear result only covers the breaches the checker knows about. You still need strong passwords and other protections.

5. Which is a safe way to use a breach checker?

A. Use a trusted checker and type only your email address ✓

B. Use any site from a pop-up ad that asks for your password

Use a trusted, well-known checker or an alert from your own account or browser. Be careful of fake sites that try to steal your details.

Match the Pairs

breach checker → A website or alert that tells you if your email address appeared in a known data breach

Result: found in 2 breaches → Your email address was in leaked data, so you should change the password for each affected account

A breach checker only needs your email address, never your password → Enter email: sam@example.com

After a breach alert, change the password for the affected account and any account that reuses it → Alert: breach found -> change password

Enter email: sam@example.com Enter password: Tiger123 → A breach checker should only ask for your email address. Typing in your password gives it to a site that could be fake.

Result: found in a breach Action: ignore it, nothing to do → Ignoring a 'found' result leaves the leaked password working for attackers. The password should be changed.

Key Term

breach checker

A website or alert that tells you if your email address appeared in a known data breach, so you can change the password for any affected account.

Fill in the Blanks

1. INPUT email result ← checkBreach(email) OUTPUT result

Hint: Type the function name that checks the email address against known data breaches.

2. IF email IN breachList THEN OUTPUT "Change your password" END IF

Hint: Type the keyword that tests whether the email is found inside the list of breached emails.

3. IF found = TRUE THEN OUTPUT "Change your password now" END IF

Hint: Type the Boolean value that means the result shows your email was in a breach.

4. FOR EACH account IN affectedAccounts changePassword(account) NEXT account

Hint: Type the procedure name that updates the password for each affected account (two words joined, camelCase).

5. INPUT email result ← checkBreach(email) OUTPUT result

Hint: Type the variable name for the only detail you enter into a breach checker.

Spot the Error

Question 1

A enter email and password

B result = check(email)

C if result == "found":

D change_password()

Line A — A breach checker needs only your email address. You should never type your password into it. Line 1 should be: enter email address only.

Question 2

A email = "sam@mail.com"

B result = check(email)

C if result == "found":

D ignore_result()

E else:

F print("No action needed")

Line D — If the email was found in a breach, you must change the password for the affected account. Ignoring the result leaves the account at risk. It should be change_password().

Question 3

A email = "mia@mail.com"

B result = check(password)

C print(result)

Line B — A breach checker looks up your email address, not your password. Line 2 should be result = check(email).

Question 4

A result = check(email)

B if result == "found":

C keep_password(account)

D else:

E print("Not in a breach")

Line C — When the result says the email was found, the affected account's password must be changed, not kept. It should be change_password(account).

Question 5

A result = check(email)

B if result == "found":

C print("You are safe")

D else:

E print("Not found")

Line C — When the result is found, the email appeared in a known breach, so the message must say so, not that you are safe. It should be print("Found in breach").

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