Even though it seems like it’s been awhile since we’ve heard of a major password breach, they certainly happen regularly and users are constantly trying to find new ways to secure their passwords. However, no matter how secure your password is there are always ways to get that information from you. A common method for attempting to capture your password is a phishing attempt in which an email or website will look like an official business site but is in fact a shell with hidden code to save your password when you enter it. Google has just released Password Alert, a Google Chrome extension which warns users when they are entering their Google password into a non-Google site.
If you enter in your password on a non-Google site, the extension will show you an alert warning you that you entered your Gmail password into a non-Google login page and prompt you to reset it if needed.
Not only that, but Password Alert will also try to detect fake sign-in pages and alert you before you’ve entered your Gmail password in, thus saving you from a potential phishing attack. The extension covers all of Google’s properties including Gmail, YouTube, Chrome, and Play. When you successfully sign into one of these sites, the extension temporarily saves a salted reduced-bit thumbnail (secure for the non-technically inclined) in Chrome’s local storage and then compares the thumbnail whenever you enter your password into another website.
Google does note that if you are using the same password for your Google accounts for other non-Google websites, the extension will trigger even if the website is a legitimate one. As we’ve mentioned before, it’s always a good idea to have a different password for each service or website you use, and doing so is not only a best practice but would also prevent the extension from triggering falsely.
What do you think of Google’s latest extension to help protect your data? Let us know in the comments below, or on Google+, Facebook, or Twitter.
[button link=”https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/password-alert/noondiphcddnnabmjcihcjfbhfklnnep” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Get the Password Alert Chrome extension[/button]Last Updated on November 27, 2018.
Comments are closed.