This article was published on December 11, 2019

Chrome now alerts you when someone steals your password


Chrome now alerts you when someone steals your password

Google released a new version of the Chrome browser last night with live phishing alerts and improved password protection. The new version 79 will now warn you if your password is stolen in a breach.

If you’re logging in to a website with compromised credentials, Chrome will display a warning notifying you of the breach. This only works with passwords that are synced and stored within Chrome.

In February, Google introduced this feature through an extension and later in October made it a part of the password check-up in your Google account. Now, the functionality is directly baked into the Chrome browser.

Google stores usernames and passwords compromised in data breaches in an encrypted strong hash format. It uses a special technique called private set intersectional binding to search your username and password in the breached database.

Google’s warning to change your compromised password

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Along with this, Chrome will also warn you if you land upon a forged site that’s designed for phishing. Google maintains an exhaustive list of phishing websites and updates it every 30 minutes. But, the browser’snew version will also supposedly protect you from sites that switch domains within that 30-minute window.

Google says this update will catch malicious sites 30 percent more accurately and fast. You can check out all the new updates on offer by Chrome 79 here.

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