Is your password hacked? Google Chrome will automatically fix it for you

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Google Chrome will auto repair your hacked passwords

Google Chrome Update
(Image credit: Google)

Google released a new Chrome update with a feature that will help you fix any compromised passwords still in use. Most of us tend to use easy-to-remember passwords. But that also means they are easier to hack. Using the suggested complex and unique options that password managers produce is simply unreasonable. 

With Google's new update, users will get extra help and protection with their passwords. Now, when visiting a supported site, a Change Password button will pop up if Chrome discovers your password for that site has been compromised. 

If you choose to change the password, it will be replaced with a complex and unique password that Google Chrome will immediately store. You still have the option to manually make a new password yourself, just please don't use "1234" (yes people still use that). 

What powers this new password feature is Duplex on the web technology to make the process seamless and automatic. Duplex on the web has been around since 2019 and was first used to help Google Assistant complete tasks associated with things like purchasing movie tickets, food, or checking flight status. 

Alternatively, you can opt to use paid-for services such as RoboForm or DashLane, which offer extra security functions and work with most browsers. Most, however, will use their preferred browser password manager to handle things for them for free. Chrome's password manager stores your passwords and alerts you if your passwords have been exposed online, and will alert you across your devices so that you can manage and change your passwords immediately. 

The other option Chrome offers is Google's Password Checkup, which allows you to safely check the strength of your passwords if they've been compromised, or if you do what most people do and reuse the same password too often. You can even use Password Checkup to change them if needed. 

With all the rampant data leaks happening, and hacker's relentless pursuit of your personal info, Google Chrome's password manager update is a welcomed one indeed. 

Mark Anthony Ramirez
Mark Anthony Ramirez

Mark has spent 20 years headlining comedy shows around the country and made appearances on ABC, MTV, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, Food Network, and Sirius XM Radio. He has written about every topic imaginable, from dating, family, politics, social issues, and tech. He wrote his first tech articles for the now-defunct Dads On Tech 10 years ago, and his passion for combining humor and tech has grown under the tutelage of the Laptop Mag team. His penchant for tearing things down and rebuilding them did not make Mark popular at home, however, when he got his hands on the legendary Commodore 64, his passion for all things tech deepened. These days, when he is not filming, editing footage, tinkering with cameras and laptops, or on stage, he can be found at his desk snacking, writing about everything tech, new jokes, or scripts he dreams of filming.