- Chrome’s password manager will now allow for automated password change
- The new feature helps reduce friction, Google says
- Passwords remain the number one authentication method
Users can now change compromised passwords directly in their Chrome browser, in just a few clicks. This is the promise given in a new Google blog discussing the extensive changes the company is bringing to user authentication and identity verification.
Most browsers already come with a (rudimentary form of) password manager, allowing users to generate strong passwords, store their credentials, and auto-fill them for speed and convenience.
Now, Google’s Chrome devs, Ashima Arora, Chirag Desai, and Eiji Kitamura, said the company is building on that foundation to “fix compromised passwords in one click”.
Changing passwords
“Automated password change makes it easier for users to respond when their credentials are at risk,” the blog reads. “When Chrome detects a compromised password during sign in, Google Password Manager prompts the user with an option to fix it automatically. On supported websites, Chrome can generate a strong replacement and update the password for the user automatically. This reduces friction and helps users to keep their account secure, without hunting through account settings or abandoning the process partway.”
Passwords are still, by far, the most common and popular form of authentication. They are also the least secure form, as people tend to create weak, easy-to-guess passwords, tend to share them with friends, family and coworkers, or store them in insecure locations that hackers can easily access.
The community has rallied behind alternatives such as passkeys, biometric authentication, or physical security keys. Google is also working on all of these (and then some), but stressed that passwords were “still the world’s most common authentication method,” suggesting that it’s not abandoning the practice any time soon.
The full blog is a rather interesting read, discussing a unified sign-in experience, improved identity verification, and enhanced session security. You can read it in more detail on this link.
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