A software developer has discovered a critical security flaw in the highly popular Google Chrome browser that could put the privacy of potentially millions of users at risk.
Chrome is among the most widely used browsers on the Web, but security researchers are now warning that it’s far from safe. Developer Elliot Kember from New Zealand discovered that anyone with physical access to a computer running Chrome can see any password stored in the browser without having to bypass a single security barrier.
When Chrome users type in a password — say, when checking their email or logging onto Twitter — the browser provides an option where that keyphrase can be remembered for future use. That master list of log-ins isn’t protected itself, however, meaning anyone with access to someone else’s computer can quickly pull up a list of plain-text passwords and essentially have unfettered access to an array of accounts.
To try it yourself, navigate to chrome://settings/passwords in Google’s browser and see if a password is needed to see what’s stored (hint: it’s not). Full story...
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Chrome is among the most widely used browsers on the Web, but security researchers are now warning that it’s far from safe. Developer Elliot Kember from New Zealand discovered that anyone with physical access to a computer running Chrome can see any password stored in the browser without having to bypass a single security barrier.
When Chrome users type in a password — say, when checking their email or logging onto Twitter — the browser provides an option where that keyphrase can be remembered for future use. That master list of log-ins isn’t protected itself, however, meaning anyone with access to someone else’s computer can quickly pull up a list of plain-text passwords and essentially have unfettered access to an array of accounts.
To try it yourself, navigate to chrome://settings/passwords in Google’s browser and see if a password is needed to see what’s stored (hint: it’s not). Full story...
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How could such a popular web browser do such a blunder? It has come as a shock to me. I would not use Google Chrome for some days until this problem and other unseen problems (if any) are rectified.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Prasant Saxena
Software Development Company
Yes, pretty surprising...
ReplyDelete