Google launched Password Alert to Warn Users about Phishing Attempts
Google reported on Wednesday that it has launched a new tool Chrome extension which has been designed to identify and alert users while entering a password on a website pretending to be Google. It aims to warn customers about phishing attempts.
The extension is termed as Password Alert. It has been designed to protect Google and Google Apps for Work accounts. It works by warning the users when they enter their passwords on a fake website imitating as accounts.google.com to seize their login credentials. It then provides the time to change the password before it is exploited.
Password Alert for Chrome works by checking the HTML of the page to identify whether it is a legitimate Google sign-in page or not. According to Google, around 2 percent of the messages to Gmail are phishing attacks where attackers aim to trick consumers into giving up a password.
When Password Alert is installed and initialized, Chrome remembers a scrambled version of your Google account password. The information, retained for security purposes only, will then notify you if you type your password into a site that's not a Google login page.
The new Chrome extension works for both Google and Google Apps for Work that means this serves as an additional layer of security for Google’s enterprise clients. Password Alert is one of the major tools designed to safeguard users’ accounts. Among others are included two-step authentication and security key.
Furthermore, Google enables you to see all the devices that access your account, allowing you to change passwords or log out remotely from a single online dashboard.
The online security issue is becoming increasingly important. Recently SendGrid had been hacked via an employees work account. Target has also encountered a severe data breach including credit card details of millions of customers.
For Google for Work accounts, Password Alert needs to be installed by an administrator.
The extension is termed as Password Alert. It has been designed to protect Google and Google Apps for Work accounts. It works by warning the users when they enter their passwords on a fake website imitating as accounts.google.com to seize their login credentials. It then provides the time to change the password before it is exploited.
Password Alert for Chrome works by checking the HTML of the page to identify whether it is a legitimate Google sign-in page or not. According to Google, around 2 percent of the messages to Gmail are phishing attacks where attackers aim to trick consumers into giving up a password.
When Password Alert is installed and initialized, Chrome remembers a scrambled version of your Google account password. The information, retained for security purposes only, will then notify you if you type your password into a site that's not a Google login page.
The new Chrome extension works for both Google and Google Apps for Work that means this serves as an additional layer of security for Google’s enterprise clients. Password Alert is one of the major tools designed to safeguard users’ accounts. Among others are included two-step authentication and security key.
Furthermore, Google enables you to see all the devices that access your account, allowing you to change passwords or log out remotely from a single online dashboard.
The online security issue is becoming increasingly important. Recently SendGrid had been hacked via an employees work account. Target has also encountered a severe data breach including credit card details of millions of customers.
For Google for Work accounts, Password Alert needs to be installed by an administrator.
