Making sure your online passwords stay secure should now be easier than ever thanks to a new Android update from Google.
The company is rolling out an upgrade that will keep Chrome for Android users safe by using its Duplex on the Web technology to automatically change any passwords that it knows may have been compromised in a hack or data breach.
The tool was first announced at Google I/O 2021, but now finally appears to be available to Android users everywhere.
Google Chrome passwords
As spotted by Max Weinbach at Android Police, whenever Chrome detects a password that it knows was compromised in a data breach, it will display an alert to the user. This pop-up will now include an option for Google Assistant to automatically change the compromised password, with the new addition added to the browser's built-in password manager.
"To help you complete tasks, Google will receive the URLs and contents of sites on which you use Assistant, as well as information you submit through Assistant," the alert adds. "This information may be stored in your Google account. You can turn off Assistant in Chrome settings."
Alternately, Google Assistant will also help take users to the change password page for particular services whenever they need to alter their logins, or offer a suggested strong password. Users can take over the process at any point, with manual password changing also available.
Re-using the same password across multiple accounts has long been flagged as a dangerous habit by almost everyone in the security industry, but many people still persist in doing so. Recent research from SpyCloud found that 64% of passwords are being used across multiple accounts, with almost 70% of users whose credentials were part of a data breach or leak still reusing the same exposed passwords.
Duplex is Google's cutting-edge chatbot technology that the company sees as part of the future of mobile devices. First revealed back in 2018, the platform is now available to many Android users, offering help across tasks such as making phone calls and booking reservations.
However, its Duplex on the Web offshoot also offers a number of automation functions, with password-changing just one of the first revealed by the company.
Via 9to5Google
