No. In a data breach, passwords are taken from the company that stored them, not from your connection. A different password per account and two-step verification limit the damage.
What solves it instead
- Run Password Checkup at passwords.google.com, or the check in your own password manager, and change every password it flags.
- Use a different password for every account; a password manager creates and remembers them for you.
- Switch on two-step verification, starting with your email.
The facts
| About | Word for word from the source | Source, checked on |
|---|---|---|
| Why a leaked password is unsafe | Compromised passwords and username combinations are unsafe because they’ve been published online. | support.google.com, |
| Why one password for several accounts is risky | If you use the same password for multiple accounts, you’re at greater risk of being hacked. | support.google.com, |
| How you find out | To help you secure your accounts, Google can help notify you if we find any of your saved passwords have been compromised. | support.google.com, |
| If your password is stolen anyway | With 2-Step Verification, or two-factor authentication, you can add an extra layer of security to your account in case your password is stolen. | support.google.com, |
| Can the VPN company see your password on HTTPS sites? | HTTPS hides the actual contents, like your passwords, messages, and card numbers, from everyone downstream, including the VPN company itself. | windscribe.com, |
| What EU law requires of the company | When the personal data breach is likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, the controller shall communicate the personal data breach to the data subject without undue delay. | eur-lex.europa.eu, |
What a VPN does change
A VPN protects data on its way between your device and the VPN server, mainly from the network you are on. It has no access to what a company stores about you, so it cannot prevent or undo a leak there. Some VPN subscriptions bundle breach alerts as a separate extra; the provider pages list which plan includes them. Check when a VPN is worth paying for
What a VPN protects
- YouEncrypted tunnel
- Your networkinternet provider, or the Wi-Fi of work, school or a café
Sees: only that you are connected to a VPN server, and how much data you send.
- VPN serverrun by the VPN provider
What a VPN does not change
- A phishing messageyou click the link yourself and type your password on a fake page
- An infected fileyou download and open it yourself on your device
- A data breach at a companythe password leaks at the company that stored it, not from your connection
What we did not check
2
- How well the breach alerts that some VPN providers bundle work: we have not tested them.
- Password checks other than Google's.
Next step
- Run Password Checkup at passwords.google.com, or the check in your own password manager, and change every password it flags.