This week’s app is actually a browser extension for users of Google’s Chrome Browser.
Data breaches are rampant. And keeping up with the all the stolen data is not an easy task. So what is the best way to determine if your user names and passwords are compromised? Good question!
The answer is Google’s Password Check Up extension. This new tool is able to warn you if your information is safe. According to Google it has over 4 billion compromised usernames and passwords stored. Using this extension will alert you if your password is safe or not every time you log in to your account on a website
Users of Chrome can check by going to a website that requires a password to log in. Click on the Password Checkup icon and you should get a message saying “None of your recently used passwords was detected in a data breach”. If you see something else click here.
Why is this important? Because many people have the bad habit of using the same password on multiple sites. If your password is compromised the hacker can access all to some, if not all, of your online accounts.
Next question; can I trust Google considering that its privacy record is dubious at best? With this extension Google claims it “never reveals this personal information.” And that any data reported back to Google about the extension’s use is anonymous.
Other ways to check if user names, passwords and other personal information is breached? If you don’t use the Chrome browser try visiting “Have I been Pwned.”
Finding out the hard way that your information has been compromised can not only be frightening but also costly…very costly. That’s why Password Check Up is the App, or extension, of the Week. You can download the extension here. And its free!
