Despite owning the most popular browser in the world, Google is still hard at work on new improvements for their products. That’s why they release many new security updates for their Chrome browser. They can help to protect their users from the many cyber threats out there.
Data breaches have been making a right mess of things for everyone. But companies like Google and Mozilla are taking action. You can continue to check HaveIBeenPwned, but now browsers are implementing warnings about compromised passwords too.
In 2019, Google released “Password Checkup.” It’s their password protection service that informs people if their passwords have been compromised in a breach. Now, the Mountain View-based company is bringing this tool closer to home. It works on integrating it into its popular browser.
And that’s not the end of features Google rolled out with the latest version of Chrome.
Layers of Encryption Ensures Passwords Stay Safe
Some password protection features already existed for Chrome before. For example, the browser highlighted any saved password associated with multiple accounts as unsafe. But users had to go into their settings to see that. Chrome now brought this feature to the forefront with the latest update. It will notify users of reused passwords as they’re creating new accounts.
Google’s new password protection feature worked like HaveIBeenPwned too. People had to seek the extension out and download it to see if their accounts suffered in a data breach. But now, Chrome users and those with Google accounts will get notifications instead. The alert will appear whenever someone types a jeopardized password and username combo into a website.
The company integrated Password Checkup with Google accounts as a new setting. As long as you enable it, it will check all saved passwords against databases containing stolen passwords. Google sources these passwords from sites that distribute stolen credentials.
In a bid to not have passwords made public, they will be hashed and stored safely. A copy of the encrypted password and username combo will go to Google’s servers to check against the latest version of their database. The company has assured everyone in their announcement that they won’t be able to see the passwords thanks to many layers of encryption.
Even so, they have also made sure that this new security feature is optional. Thus, you need to enable it yourself. It’s an excellent way to give users back control over their privacy.
But there’s even more. Google will now also notify someone if any of their saved passwords have been exposed in a data breach.
Why is This New Security Feature So Necessary?
More than half of internet users still reuse their passwords across different accounts. The problem is, thanks to the frequency with which massive data breaches happen these days, that’s a significant risk.
By alerting users to this behavior, Google hopes to help lessen the risk of having multiple accounts taken over by criminals. It’s especially helpful when considering that the average person has 50+ accounts. Lives are busy, and things move quickly — it’s too easy to forget whether you used a password before or not.
Of course, the new Google Chrome feature won’t help people remember all their passwords, and saving them to Google isn’t always the best idea. That’s what password managers are for. All you have to remember is a master password. The password manager encrypts your passwords for safe storage and fills them in automatically, much like what Chrome does. For more information click here: https://nordpass.com/features/master-password/
Enhanced Phishing Protection
Google has also implemented new phishing protection methods. It’s adding a phishing alert to their search engine as well as another security addition.
Phishing has become a major issue. Google has tried to combat it in the past by updating its blacklist of untrustworthy websites every 30 minutes. But cybercriminals have found ways around it by doing things like switching domains. So instead, Google has started aggregating a massive database of safe websites. Then, when someone tries to enter a website that isn’t on it, they will get an alert.
The Bottom Line
These new security updates will reach all Google Chrome users worldwide. But those who want to make sure they have access to the most secure version of Chrome to date can check their settings. Click on the three vertical dots in the top right-hand side of the browser window, click on Settings, and select “About Chrome.” The latest version with these security updates is Chrome 79.