Stop the habit of saving passwords on Chrome browser now

Is saving passwords on Chrome safe?

Passwords are ubiquitous in the digital age. We all know the risks of using one password for all of our accounts. However, creating complicated and lengthy passwords for every account can get tiresome.

As a result, a third-party password manager is a safe bet, including popular web browser password managers like Google Chrome.

As the world’s most popular browser, Google Chrome makes it easy to store passwords in your browser. You never have to remember or enter them manually. In addition, the tool is free and easy to use.

But experts warn that storing passwords on Chrome can be handy but not secure. You can have your social network password stolen, even credit card information.

With most browser password managers, including Google Chrome, password security is directly linked to device security. This is a very large vulnerability that few users know about.

In other words, anyone who knows the password to access your computer, tablet or phone will immediately have access to all the passwords stored on the browser.

Unlike most dedicated password managers, Chrome doesn’t encrypt all your logins. This makes passwords stored on Chrome relatively weak to ‘local’ attacks.

For example, if someone knows you well and knows your Windows password, they can see all the login information stored in the password manager in the browser.

Even without knowing your Windows password, they can sneak into Chrome’s settings and see all the logins that are stored while you leave your computer on and away for a while.

Alternatively, they could go to any of those sites and sign in with Chrome’s autofill function, then use some trick to get the password displayed.

Not stopping at the near risks, storing passwords on the browser is also a target for hackers.

Based on a report from security firm ASEC, passwords stored on web browsers can be easily stolen by a piece of malware called Redline Stealer.

This malware attacked a company after stealing login information from an employee and passing it on to hackers. Three months later, that company’s data was compromised.

This employee stores all important passwords on the web browser. Even though his computer had anti-virus software installed, Redline Stealer still easily bypassed to steal all the data.

Redline Stealer is a malware that is widely sold for between 150-200 USD. Therefore, a lot of hackers can use to gain access to your data.

Risks when saving passwords on Chrome

AhnLab of ASEC suggests that users should not save passwords and other login information in web browsers.

Instead, a standalone password manager is more secure. An even better way is to not save your password anywhere and try to memorize it.

“Despite the constant warnings of cybersecurity experts about browser password manager vulnerabilities, internet users continue to continue,” said Tomas Smalakys, chief technology officer of NordPass password manager. clicked his tongue thinking it was convenient and then fell into a trap.”

“Hackers use tricks to trick internet users into downloading extensions that can easily extract data stored on browsers.”

Michael Crandell, CEO at Bitwarden, notes that systems like Chrome lack features for “secure password sharing with colleagues and family, support for biometric logins and security keys, reports on the whether your password has been compromised”.

In case you still want to save the password on the Chrome browser, please ensure the following security steps. First, carefully hide the device password, avoid sharing it with many people.

Lock the computer when leaving in a place where there are many people. Just press the Windows key and the L key. Your computer will be locked and your passwords and other files will be safe.

Use a unique and complex password for each account. Passwords like “abc” or “123” are a big mistake, and so is setting one password for all accounts.

If you can afford it, choose independent password managers like NordPass or 1Password. They have valuable features like creating extremely strong custom passwords, separate from system passwords.

Secure and encrypt not only passwords but documents, photos, and other files.