Google is going to let Chrome’s password manager automatically change your password when it detects one that is weak, the company announced at its Google I/O conference.
“When Chrome detects a compromised password during sign-in, Google Password Manager prompts the user with an option to fix it automatically,” according to a blog post. “On supported websites, Chrome can generate a strong replacement and update the password for the user automatically.”
Google is announcing the feature at Google I/O so that developers can start to prepare their websites and apps for the change ahead of when it launches later this year.
Chrome’s password manager can already tell you if you have an unsafe password. “But if we tell you your password is weak, it’s really annoying to actually have to change your password,” Parisa Tabriz, VP and GM of Chrome, said in a briefing ahead of the event. “And we know that if something is annoying, people are not going to actually do it. So we see automatic password change as a win for safety, as well as usability. Overall, that’s a win-win for users.”
I asked if Chrome might automatically change passwords on a regular basis so they’re never outdated, but Tabriz says that Chrome won’t change a bad or compromised password without user consent. “We’re very much focused on keeping the user in control of changing their password.”
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