It sounds old-school, doesn’t it?
Dumpster diving used to mean rummaging through bins for bank statements. But in today’s world, hackers don’t need your rubbish — they’ve got something far juicier. They go after your old accounts, the dusty logins you haven’t touched in years.
The hidden problem:
Every account you abandon still holds data. That could be your email, old photos, or saved payment details. Worse still, if the password was reused anywhere, hackers can use it as a skeleton key to unlock other parts of your digital life.
Why Old Accounts Are Goldmines
• Data leaks — forgotten accounts don’t get monitored, so breaches slip under the radar.
• Password reuse — if you reused the same login on other sites, it’s like leaving spare keys under the doormat.
• Phishing fodder — personal details in old social media accounts can be weaponised to trick your contacts.
• Dark web sales — credentials from abandoned accounts often end up sold in bulk.
Real Example
In 2021, security researchers found millions of old MySpace and Tumblr logins still circulating on the dark web. Many of the passwords were reused on current accounts, meaning hackers could leap from a dead platform straight into live services like email and banking.
Do This Today
- Audit your accounts
Search your emails for “welcome” or “verify” messages to uncover forgotten accounts. - Close what you don’t use
Log in, download any data you want, and delete the account. - Change reused passwords
Use unique, strong passwords across all accounts.
See: Why Your Email Is the Key to All Your Other Accounts - Check for leaks
Use HaveIBeenPwned to see if your old logins have been exposed. - Keep a simple list
Maintain a secure record of every active account, ideally in a password manager.
Key Takeaway
Your old accounts aren’t harmless clutter — they’re digital leftovers that hackers feast on. Cleaning them up closes doors before criminals find them.
At The Cyber Workshop, we teach you how to protect not just your present but also your past online. Forgotten accounts are low-hanging fruit — and we’d rather hackers go hungry.
Till next time,
Take out your digital rubbish before someone else goes digging.
