Stop Saving Passwords in your Internet Browser
For anyone that browses the internet it is not uncommon to log into secure accounts to access sensitive data. I am sure that you more than likely do this yourself. I am also rather sure that when you go to log into these accounts you have been prompted to allow your browser to save your username and password. While this may seem convenient it is actually a security risk.
There are a variety of internet browsers out there. Some of the more popular are Chrome, Internet Explorer, Edge, Firefox and Safari. Depending on which browser you choose, they are often linked up to a user account that allows you to sync various settings across devices. These settings may include bookmarks, browsing history and even your login information. This can be convenient but it can also be very dangerous.
When working with clients that have been hacked we often look to see if they are using the above mentioned method to sync their settings among multiple devices. These devices can include multiple computers, smart phones, tablets and other smart devices. The reason this is an important thing for us to know is because if a threat agent gains access to just one of those accounts they can essential gain access to all of the account information saved within the browser.
This is just one of the reasons why allowing your web browser to save your account information is dangerous. Another reason is that there are tools that can be run on your computer that easily extract your username and passwords. It does not take a genius hacker to utilize these tools. It also does not take a lot of money to purchase them. Infact, many of these tools are open source and freely available to the public.
So if you are one of the many people that have already saved your passwords into your browsers you may be wondering how you can clear them. Luckily, a quick Google search of “How to remove your passwords from your web browser” can lead you to many step by step guides for doing just that. Before you jump right in and clear out those passwords though we suggest that you stop and think for a minute.
It is not uncommon for people to rely on these types of password saving methods. This can become a problem when they go to log into an account. They are so familiar with not needing to remember their passwords that they don’t. So before you clear out your passwords from your browsers we recommend that you log into your accounts and change your passwords. We know that this is a tedious task but you do not want to be one of the many people that go to log into an account and cannot get it because they do not remember their account name or password.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. I hope you found it useful and that you take the time to be proactive when it comes to security.
