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This is the exact reason I started building Breach Canary[0], so that businesses can be alerted as soon as their user data is used in a way they wouldn't expect
by graystevens 9y ago
This is the exact reason I started building Breach Canary[0], so that businesses can be alerted as soon as their user data is used in a way they wouldn't expect it to be. We produce authentic users with real working email addresses and phone numbers, so that as soon as they are contacted, you know someone has a copy of your userbase and is using it for reason x.
We have already started seeing a tonne of DocuSign phishing emails as others have mentioned. They were already a popular target for phishing users but now with very realistic documents the users are expecting? Nightmare.
[0] https://BreachCanary.com https://BreachCanary.com
- timvdalen 9y agoThe second Get early access box says 'Entry your e-mail address' instead of 'Enter'. Looks cool though, I subscribed to the list.
- graystevens 9y agoThank you, I'll fix that now :) Serves me right for rushing out a landing page, after reading all the "you should start marketing yesterday" comments on startups! Edit: fixed
- Kiro 9y agoI presume canary is an established term in this context but since I don't know what it is I don't understand your service. It sounds good though.
- graystevens 9y agoApologies, you're right, it's not really covered as it's a bit of a niche industry term. It relates back to the days of coal mines, and the birds being used as an early warning system - https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/canary_in_a_coal_mine https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/canary_in_a_coal_mine
- SimbaOnSteroids 9y agoI wouldn't call it a niche term, maybe in the context of calling something a canary, but the term canary in a coal mine is a common idiomatic expression in American English, at least in the mid-west.
- Normal_gaussian 9y agoCanaries were used in mines to signal pockets of unbreathable gas; they would die before the humans giving them an opportunity to escape. Canary has developed into a standard term for warnings which are detecting the danger allowing mitigation as opposed to predicting the danger which would allow avoidance.
- pyre 9y ago> Canary has developed into a standard term for warnings which are detecting the danger More succinctly, a canary is an early warning system.
- Normal_gaussian 9y agoThis is exactly what I was trying to avoid saying, what kills a Canary kills a human, yet fire isn't always what triggers the fire alarm
- Confusion 9y agoIt's a reference to the canaries that were used in coal mines to detect carbon monoxide. Since then 'canary' has been used to refer to early warning systems. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentinel_species https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentinel_species
- Loic 9y agoIt is coming from the canary birds in the coal mines or in submarines[0]. They have a higher sensibility to CO than humans. This is now part of the common language to say that you sacrifice an animal or "something" to get early warning of something possibly more dangerous. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentinel_species#Historical_examples https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentinel_species#Historical_ex...
- amelius 9y agoJust wondering, what exactly is being sacrificed in this specific case?
- kuro-kuris 9y agoIt is artificial users when their data is used it means your privacy has been breached. In a way a canary is not just a sacrifice but a transparent sacrifice.
- homero 9y agoFake users
- drcongo 9y agoSee here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canary_trap https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canary_trap
- zachkatz 9y agoGorgeous design! Nice to see some cheery bright colors for a change.
- scoot 9y agoTo do something similar as an individual, I highly recommend 33mail.com [1], which provides a generous free tier, and lets you supply arbitrary <companyname@yourdomain.33mail.com>. As well as knowing where a leak originated, you can easily block any inbound email address if it is being abused. Not affiliated, just a happy long-time paying customer. [1] http://33mail.com/rj37w3 http://33mail.com/rj37w3
- ATsch 9y agoI don't know what the HN policy on referral links is, but here's a link without affiliate tracking: http://33mail.com http://33mail.com
- scoot 9y agoThat isn't strictly affiliate tracking, but yes, if you're uncomfortable with 33mail.com knowing you came from HN, don't click ATsch's link, but copy and paste it instead.
- elsombrero 9y agoI do the same without using 33mail. I have my mail hosted on zoho mail which gives me infinite aliases that get redirected to my main address and in case I ever need to forward a mail from an alias I can create a new address with that alias, use it and then delete it. So when I register to a new site I usually input <sitename>@mydomain.com and then if I want I can create a filter to sort them automatically
- 2T1Qka0rEiPr 9y agoDid you mean "And relax" in your how it works steps?
- graystevens 9y agoI do! Well spotted, I'll fix that one shortly Edit: fixed :)
- glenneroo 9y agoSounds like "Have I Been Pwned?"[0] which I have been using to identify which addresses were hacked/sold. Together with a unique email address per site registration, which all get captured by a catch-all on my domains, I have some information on which addresses are compromised. [0]https://haveibeenpwned.com https://haveibeenpwned.com