Google Chrome beefs up password protection on Android and iOS
- Google Chrome 86 is now available on desktop and mobile.
- The version contains several new security-related functions.
- Android and iOS also get access to a password protection service.
With the release of Chrome 86, Google is introducing a number of security features, including improved password protection for Android and iOS.
Similar to Google’s password verification tool launched in 2019, Google Chrome’s built-in password manager now acts as a vulnerability scout, warning users when their credentials on the websites they visit have been compromised.
For this purpose, Google retrieves the stored user name and password data of the users via an encrypted transmission. The encrypted data is then compared to a list of known compromised combinations. If a username and password pair is flagged as compromised, Chrome saves users time by redirecting them directly to known password-changing sites.
Other security features are also being introduced with Chrome 86. Enhanced Safe Browsing – which supposedly acts as a real-time online security scanner – is available on Android. It promises to keep users safe from phishing, malware, and shady websites by monitoring web traffic. When scanning websites for malicious traits, the feature also checks all initiated downloads.
Google also sees the use of HTTP content on HTTPS websites as a potential security risk for users. While browsing these mixed-content websites, Chrome will throw warnings on desktop and Android if there is an unsafe form on an HTTPS page. This should further protect users from phishing attempts. The browser also warns users when HTTP downloads are initiated on an HTTPS site. The feature can also be set to block all downloads this way.
Chrome users from Apple also get a platform-specific function in this version. iOS users can now use Face ID, Touch ID, or Passcode to turn on or lock Chrome’s built-in password manager.
Google confirms that more security features for iOS and Android will be available in the future version of the browser. This includes more security clearance alerts and using Chrome as an agent to autofill passwords in other iOS browsers.
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