Is Pastebin safe to use? A complete Pastebin Review 2023

It is common today to share information and collaborate with your team using some online platform. Pastebin is one such platform that allows you to store and share text-based data. But the million-dollar question is: Is Pastebin safe?  

We must evaluate the safety of the platforms we use, and in this blog, we shall explore the security aspects of Pastebin and its various features.

We will also explore our best security tips to ensure you are protected against any risk of a data breach while using free platforms like Pastebin. Let’s get started:

What is Pastebin?

Pastebin is a content-hosting site founded in 2002 that allows users to store and share text-based information. Programmers mainly use the platform to collaborate or store code snippets. Gamers also make up a significant percentage and use Pastebin primarily to store Roblox or Da Hood scripts, among others.

The platform has over 18 million active monthly users who depend upon Pastebin’s straightforward interface and convenience. It is an efficient way to store, collaborate and share information, codes, news, scripts, and other content over the Internet.

Is Pastebin safe to share or store information online?

Pastebin is a popular content-hosting site and is considered to be legit by millions of users. However, apart from Pastebin’s SSL certificates and security policies, you should not ignore that it is a publicly available free platform with tons of exposure to all kinds of people. 

This exposure might create issues if things were to go south. Here are some ways in which we can analyze Pastebin’s overall security:

Pastebin’s data privacy policies:

Pastebin takes its user’s privacy very seriously and implements accepted industry standards to protect user information and data on its platform. Pastebin also claims not to sell user data and any other private information to third parties for commercial purposes. 

Here is what Pastebin has to say on the matter:

“We do not share, sell, rent, or trade User Personal Information with third parties for their commercial purposes. We may make such information available to trusted third-party service providers who help us make the Website and Service available, but subject to strict requirements to limit usage to such purposes”.

Source: Pastebin privacy statement

Content moderation:

Pastebin does not actively moderate content that is posted or shared by users on the platform. However, you can always report illegal, malicious, or other forms of abusive content, and Pastebin will then take appropriate action against the submitted request.

You can submit a report here.

Private vs. public spaces:

It can be a little risky to share your information using public pastes on Pastebin as they are accessible and visible to all. It is recommended to get yourself the private paste feature if you use Pastebin often so that you can limit accessibility by using a strong password. 

“Pastebin employees do not access private pastes unless required for security or maintenance, or support reasons, with the consent of the paste owner.”

Source: Pastebin privacy statement

User responsibility:

While Pastebin prioritizes user privacy, it is way more vital that you be careful regarding the information you share on Pastebin. You must never provide any personal information, passwords, keys, or pins that can be hacked or used by scammers to trap you.

Here is how a user summarizes it: 

Source: Stake Exchange

“Information in your pastes belongs to you, and you are responsible for it, as well as for making sure that Your Content complies with our Terms of Service.”

Source: Pastebin privacy statement

Phishing and other scams:

Since Pastebin is a public platform, it cannot guarantee complete security. Pastebin also makes that quite clear in their security disclosure: 

“We follow generally accepted industry standards to protect the personal information submitted to us, both during transmission and once we receive it. However, no method of transmission, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee absolute security.”

Source: Pastebin privacy statement

Therefore, you must remain vigilant against phishing attempts and avoid following random links or downloading random software.

Hacker’s hub:

While Pastebin was created to allow users to share data easily, hackers commonly post stolen information, data, and credentials anonymously. They can also privately communicate with other hackers to swap techniques and information since Pastebin does not moderate content.

Source: Reddit user

Pastebin alternatives:

If you have lingering concerns regarding Pastebin’s security policies and your data security, you can even opt for more secure platforms that can serve as an alternative to Pastebin. There are over a hundred options you can use as your Pastebin alternative.  Here are a few:

1. GitHub Gist
2. Ghostbin
3. Hastebin
4. Ideone
5. Rentry. co
6. ZeroBin
7. JSFiddle
8. TextBin
9. ControlC
10. Codiad

Best security tips – How to stay safe on Pastebin?

Pastebin has several protocols in place to help you protect your data on the platform. However, you must take extra measures so that your information is not compromised and does not fall into the hands of vicious scammers and hackers. 

Here are our best security tips to stay safe while using Pastebin to share or store information:

• Avoid sharing/storing sensitive or confidential information like passwords, account pins, etc., that scammers can use to scam you.
• Use the private Pastebin feature to restrict access to your pastes and add an extra layer of security.
• Set strong passwords for your private pastes so that they cannot be easily compromised if scammers decide to gain unauthorized access. 
• Ensure that you set an expiration period for your pastes, so they will only be visible for the specified time and later vanish. 
• If you are using public pastes, do not store any information that you do not want publicly available.
• Be mindful of phishing attacks or other scams related to Pastebin.
• Do not follow random links on the site; do not download any random software without verifying the source first, as it could be malware.
• Ensure you regularly review your old pastes and delete any if no longer required.
• Use a VPN, like PureVPN, to encrypt your network traffic and ensure that no scammer can intercept your communication channels. 

PureVPN – Enjoy a more secure Pastebin experience

Whether Pastebin is safe has much to do with a user’s security features and precautions. One such measure is to use a reliable virtual private network (VPN) to guard your data against cyber-attacks and breaches.

PureVPN can help you encrypt your data and communication lines so that any hacker waiting to intercept can be shooed away. Encryption is essential while sharing your data with a public platform like Pastebin.

The tool has more benefits to offer! Not only can you attain complete network protection, but you can also get unlimited access by using PureVPN’s extensive network of 6500+ servers. 

And if you wish to learn more about who is tracking your activity online and storing your data with our secure social media auditor (SMA), PurePrivacy! 

• Enjoy uninterrupted access to 6500+ remote servers in 70+ locations.
• Get around government restrictions and bans.
• IP masking can help you access exclusive regional deals and discounts
• Host private servers to enjoy endless gaming sessions
• Protect your data by encrypting your channels with AES 256-bit encryption.

Conclusion: Share more securely with Pastebin

To summarize our discussion, while Pastebin can occasionally be used for ill intent, it primarily benefits those in need. However, security experts always recommend being on guard when using a free software service. 

And with significant risks comes a greater need to protect your network against potential threats. PureVPN can help you with it! Encrypt your network traffic and ensure interception-free communication with your friends and colleagues.

Frequently Asked Questions