There is no doubt that having strong and complex passwords is essential to protect our accounts. That is something that Google Chrome , the most popular browser today, knows. It will soon warn users when they use a compromised password, which can be used by intruders and access that account. This is a more common problem than it may seem. We explain how we can use this function now.
Chrome will warn of insecure passwords
Having secure accounts on the Internet depends a lot on what password we are using. It is true that there are other functions that also help us to protect ourselves, other elements that may be available to further extend the protection. However, passwords are the first security barrier that we must take into account.
The problem comes when we are using a weak key , which has been leaked due to a security breach. This happens especially when we have been using the same password for a long time. Sometimes these types of vulnerabilities arise on the platforms that we are using.
To prevent users from continuing to use those insecure passwords , Chrome will alert them. The objective is none other than to prevent possible hackers from carrying out brute force attacks and other methods with the aim of entering our accounts. This verification function will warn if our keys have been found in data breaches.
Until now we could know if a password is insecure or not by saving the login credentials in the browser. In this way, from the key manager, it warned of this problem.
Google is now implementing a feature in your browser that automatically detects and highlights weak passwords when we run a security check . At the moment this feature is only available for Google Chrome Canary, which is the version where these types of changes arrive first. It is hoped that in future updates it will reach the stable version. However, we can already use it in that version.
How to use weak password verification in Chrome Canary
As we say, Chrome Canary is the version of Google’s browser where the changes arrive first before reaching the stable version. This means that in order to use this feature, the first thing we have to do is download and install this version. For this we have to go to the browser’s website and download it .
The installation process is simple and fast. Once we have it installed and make sure it is the latest version, we can start configuring that function. We explain what steps to do:
The first thing is to enter chrome: // flags / . There we will find the list of functions that we can configure. Once we are inside, in the search bar we put “weak”. Two results will automatically appear: Passwords weakness check and Safety check for weak passwords . We have to change the value from Default to Enabled. Later we will only have to restart the browser for the changes to take effect.
Once we have this enabled we can use it. We simply have to go to Settings and, in the list that shows us on the left, click on Security Check . Then we will have to execute the Check Now button, which appears above.
In short, this new feature of Google Chrome will soon be available in the stable version. For now we can use and test it in Chrome Canary. One more step of this popular browser to protect user passwords.