How safe if your browser?

There has been a news buzz in the technology media about the password security related to Chrome. According to online sources and software developers there seems to be a security flaw. Chrome does not seem to be efficient when it comes to protecting your passwords. Anyone who gains access to your device or desktop will be easily able to view Chrome saved passwords. What more, the user will be able to see it in plain text. This sure is alarming for those who have a habit of saving their passwords as well for those who have long relied on this security feature.

How is it possible?

How did this happen? When you launch Chrome go to Settings>Show Advanced Settings and scroll to locate Passwords and Forms> Manage saved passwords. A list of websites for which you have allowed Chrome to store passwords. Clicking any of the items in the list will reveal the password in simple text. This way your passwords can be easily accessed by anyone. However, there is no exception with this browser; there are other browsers too with security vulnerability. Let us find out about it.

Firefox Security

If you are the one using Firefox then you will observe the level of security available with this browser. For this you need to click Tools>Options>Security. Look for the optio
Use a master password, check if this is selected or not. If it is selected then you need to specify a strong password. This will ensure your safety from ordinary threats. If this is not done then a user is exposed to all kinds of online threats.

IE Security

According to a security agency a research was conducted that ranked browsers according to security level. In this research, Chrome was the most vulnerable of all browsers when it came to security. Internet Explorer topped the list revealing the best privacy and security features provided.

IE is not only well equipped but also capable of handling your passwords better. The saved list of passwords is handled in a better manner. The passwords are encrypted that are secured in the Registry. This ensures that your passwords are not revealed or accidentally displayed in IE.

If browser security is not up to the mark then you need to take corrective actions. The following tips will help you to keep your passwords safe within a browser:

Browser password security tips

1 Ensure that you install a password manager

2 Remember to import your passwords that are stored within your browser

3 Delete all the passwords that are saved in the browser

4 Turn off the option of password saving in the browser

5 If your browser employs third-party password managers then you need to be alarmed about it. A third party program is capable of letting in malware infection.

You can begin by using programs like Dashlane 2.0 version that is not as expensive or opt for a free program like LastPass 2.0. These programs are capable of importing your passwords from IE, Chrome and Firefox. Additionally these programs will erase your saved passwords from browsers and disable the password saving feature. With LastPass, you can even work with Oprah and Safari.

If you are concerned about your password security then the best bet is to manually delete them, here is how:

1 Simultaneously press Shift+Ctrl+Del keys to permanently erase passwords from your browser including history.
2 If you are using Chrome or Firefox then a dialog box will appear asking you the time period. Carefully define it for deleting your password history. For Firefox use Everything, for Chrome use From the beginning of time. This will help you erase all.
3 Turn off the feature of Password saving in Chrome by going to Settings>Advanced Settings> Offer to save passwords option, uncheck it.
4 Firefox users go to Options>Security Tab> Remember passwords, uncheck this.
5 IE users can go to Internet Options>Content>Settings>Auto-complete, disable this feature.

Improving Passwords with Password Managers

After opting for password, managers like Dashlane and LastPass then you can upgrade them. both the given programs offer you the option of listing security report of weakest password. This helps you identify passwords that are used in multiple websites and are potential security threat. Carry out this scan every day if you are handling sensitive data and eliminate weak passwords.