Google Chrome update should finally make it easier to keep your passwords safe

(Image credit: Shutterstock / vladwel)

Google Chrome is set to reveal a new way to keep all your passwords secure, even if they have been leaked or stolen online.

The browser will update its in-built password manager tool to boost security even more, meaning users should be able to quickly and easily change login details if they think they have been affected by a leak or data breach. 

Google Chrome's password manager already has a tool that lets you check if any of your passwords have been leaked online anywhere, but now the browser is taking that to a new, safer level.

Google Chrome passwords

Going forward, Google Chrome will now use a URL scheme known as 'Well Known Change Password', which allows it to redirect users straight to a password change page if the browser detects that their details have been leaked online.

Well Known Change Password covers any URL that offers such a direct pathway, and is quickly discoverable by search engines. This is contrast to many other websites which offer redirects using the pathway to direct a user straight to its Change Password page.

Any websites that do not support Well Known Change Password will be redirected to the Google home page. 

The feature will be supported across Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS (which powers the best Chromebooks) and Android, and is set to be publicly launched as part of Chrome 86, which is due to be released in October 2020.

The Android version of Chrome finally received its own version of the password manager last month, allowing users to keep track of all their different login details across the web.

The update follows in the steps of a number of third-party security providers offering a similar service. Most recently, LastPass unveiled a new Security Dashboard to provide end users with a complete overview of the security of their online accounts, including whether any of their passwords has been leaked.

Via MSPowerUser

Mike Moore
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Pro

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.