If you are like that a lot of people, someone has probably encouraged you to use a password manager and you haven’t heard the tips yet. Now, Chrome and Edge are about to rescue with enhanced password management built right into browsers.
On Thursday, Microsoft announced a new password generator for the recently released Edge 88. People can use it when signing up for a new account or when changing an existing password. The generator provides a drop-down menu in the password field. When the candidate is clicked, it is selected as a password and saved in a password manager built into the browser. The password can then be sent to other devices using the Edge Password Sync feature.
As I’ve explained for years, the same things that make passwords memorable and easy to use are the same things that make them easy to guess. Password generators are among the most secure sources of secure passwords. Instead of having to think of a really unique and hard-to-guess password, users can make a generator do it right.
“Microsoft Edge offers a built-in secure password generator that you can use when you sign up for a new account or when you change an existing password,” wrote members of the Microsoft Edge team. “Just look for the browser-suggested password drop-down menu in the password field, and when you select it, it will be automatically saved in your browser and synced between devices for easy use in the future.”
Edge 88 is also implementing a feature called Password Monitor. As its name suggests, it monitors saved passwords to make sure none of them are included in lists compiled from website compromises or fishing attacks. When enabled, the password monitor will alert users when a password matches the lists posted online.
Checking passwords securely is a difficult task. The browser should be able to check a password with a large, ever-changing list without sending sensitive information to Microsoft or information that may be sniffed by someone monitoring the connection between the user and Microsoft. In an attached post also posted Thursday, Microsoft explained how exactly this is done.
Not to be outdone, Google Chrome team members have introduced their own password protections this week. The main one is a password manager with more complete functions integrated into the browser.
“Chrome can now ask you to update your saved passwords when you sign in to websites,” members of the Chrome team wrote. “However, you may want to update multiple usernames and passwords easily, in one convenient place. So, starting with Chrome 88, you can manage all your passwords more quickly and easily in Chrome settings for computers and iOS (Chrome’s Android app will also get this feature soon). “
Chrome 88 also makes it easy to check whether saved passwords have ended up in password repositories. Although the password audit came to Chrome last year, the feature can now be accessed through a security check.
Many people feel more comfortable using a dedicated password manager because it offers more features than those sent to the browser. Most dedicated managers, for example, make it easy to use dice words safely. With the line between browsers and password managers starting to blur, it’s likely a matter of time before browsers offer more advanced management features.
This story originally appeared on Ars Technica.
Bigger cable stories