# Your personal information is on the dark web. What happens next?

DevFeed: [Your personal information is on the dark web. What happens next?](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/your-personal-information-is-on-the-dark-web-what-happens-next-8395.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.welivesecurity.com/en/privacy/information-dark-web-what-happens-next/>)

Author: Phil Muncaster

Published: 2026-01-13T10:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [WeLiveSecurity](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/welivesecurity.md>)

Topics: [online privacy](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/online-privacy.md>), [pii](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/pii.md>), [Cybercrime](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/cybercrime.md>), [Malware](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/malware.md>), [ransomware](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ransomware.md>), [Authentication](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/authentication.md>), [MFA](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/mfa.md>), [Artificial Intelligence](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai.md>)

Tags: [attacks](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/attacks.md>), [authentication](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/authentication.md>), [breach](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/breach.md>), [data](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/data.md>), [exploits](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/exploits.md>), [fraud](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/fraud.md>), [genai](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/genai.md>), [generative](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/generative.md>), [malware](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/malware.md>), [mfa](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/mfa.md>), [phishing](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/phishing.md>), [pii](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/pii.md>), [privacy](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/privacy.md>), [ransomware](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ransomware.md>), [us](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/us.md>)

## AI overview

This article explains what may happen when personal information appears on the dark web, including fraud and account hijacking. It describes data breaches, infostealer malware, ransomware-related extortion, phishing, and generative AI-assisted attacks as routes by which personal and financial data can be exposed and sold.

## Source excerpt

If your data is on the dark web, it's probably only a matter of time before it's abused for fraud or account hijacking. Here's what to do.