Passwords are the first barrier we use to prevent potential intruders from entering our accounts. It is true that there are other protection methods as well, such as two-step authentication, but without a doubt it is something that is very present in our day to day. Sometimes leaks, vulnerabilities, and security issues can arise. In this article we reflect on how Chrome will improve password security by warning of potential problems.
Chrome will warn of password problems
It is very common for our browser to allow us to save the password and username. In this way, when we return to a page or service on the Internet, we will not need to enter the data again. It acts, in a way, like a password manager. Now, is this safe? The truth is that sometimes problems can arise that expose our passwords.
This is what Google Chrome will improve from version 87 on. It will have an integrated function to detect weak passwords that can be exploited. One more way to improve security and avoid problems that could compromise our accounts and records.
Chrome’s goal is to alert users when they are using a weak password, which can be dangerous. This way they could change it before it can be used by hackers and carry out their attacks.
Of course, it must be taken into account that Google has not indicated at the moment what a weak password is for them. The possible algorithm they use to determine whether a key can be truly secure or pose a threat to users is not known. However, the ideal is to know at all times how to create strong passwords.
Available in Google Chrome Canary
As we said, this new feature of Chrome to alert of weak passwords will be available from version 87 of the browser. However, we can already use it in the Canary version, which as we know is where the changes arrive first.
By default this function is disabled. We can easily configure it through the browser settings. You must have the latest version of Chrome Canary installed. For this we write in the toolbar chrome: // flags / and look for passwords weakness check. We have to enable it. Later we apply the changes and restart the browser. Keep in mind that at the moment this feature is only available in the desktop version and not in the mobile versions.
Done this we can load chrome: // settings / passwords in the browser and thus run the password checker. Thus the browser will check the security of all the passwords that we have stored and will notify us in case it detects any problem, any weakness, and be able to change them before compromising our privacy and security.
Ultimately, Google Chrome will allow us to know if our passwords are secure or not. At the moment it is available in the Canary version, but it will also come to the stable version.
