MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.–Credit unions are constantly reminding members to be careful with their passwords. Now Google has introduced a new free tool that lets people
know when login information is exposed.
The service is available to people who use the Google Chrome browser and requires the downloading of the Password Checkup extension, which will monitor their various website logins. When a person logs in with a username and password that Google knows has been compromised, it triggers a warning that prompts the user to change the password, according to Google.
According to Google, Password Checkup cross-checks the login credentials against a regularly updated database of more than four-billion username and password entries that it has collected from sources such as password dumps. Because many consumers use the same password across numerous sites, including with financial accounts, the risk can be significant.
The company said the new solution was designed with cryptography experts at Stanford University and Google. The users' passwords and usernames will be encrypted so Google won't actually be able to see them itself.