Google to improve Chrome browser’s password security

The search giant will inform users if their passwords saved to Chrome have been compromised to help them change or fix it.

October 09, 2020 01:16 pm | Updated October 12, 2020 12:04 pm IST

Chrome users on iOS will now be able to authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID, or phone passcode.

Chrome users on iOS will now be able to authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID, or phone passcode.

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Google is working on improving its new Chrome 86 version browser’s password security in both Android and iOS.

The search giant will inform users if their passwords saved to Chrome have been compromised to help them change or fix it.

In its new Chrome 86 update, Google is introducing safety checks on iOS and Android that will include checking for compromised passwords, telling if safe browsing is enabled, and whether the version of Chrome is updated with latest security protections.

To check for compromised passwords, Chrome will send a copy of usernames and passwords to Google using encrypted form. Google will check them against lists of credentials known to be compromised, following which it will notify if there has been a compromise.

Google is also planning to introduce ‘enhanced safe browsing’ for Android Chrome users to protect them from phishing, and other malware attacks.

“Among our users who have enabled checking websites and downloads in real time, our predictive phishing protections see a roughly 20% drop in users typing their passwords into phishing sites.” Google said in a statement.

To further strengthen security against phishing attacks, it launched Touch-to-fill for passwords.

For Chrome users on iOS, Google is adding a biometric authentication step before auto-filling passwords. Users will now be able to authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID, or phone passcode.

Additionally, they will be able to use Chrome on iOS to autofill saved login details into other apps or browsers.

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