Google Assistant can now automatically change your stolen passwords

Chrome for Android tool uses Google Duplex to help keep you safe

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Making sure your online passwords stay secure should now be easier than ever thanks to a newAndroidupdate fromGoogle.

The company is rolling out an upgrade that will keep Chrome for Android users safe by using its Duplex on the Web technology to automatically change any passwords that it knows may have been compromised in a hack or data breach.

The tool wasfirst announced at Google I/O 2021, but now finally appears to be available to Android users everywhere.

Google Chrome passwords

As spotted byMax WeinbachatAndroid Police, whenever Chrome detects a password that it knows was compromised in a data breach, it will display an alert to the user. This pop-up will now include an option for Google Assistant to automatically change the compromised password, with the new addition added to thebrowser’s built-inpassword manager.

“To help you complete tasks, Google will receive the URLs and contents of sites on which you use Assistant, as well as information you submit through Assistant,” the alert adds. “This information may be stored in your Google account. You can turn off Assistant in Chrome settings.”

Alternately, Google Assistant will also help take users to the change password page for particular services whenever they need to alter their logins, or offer a suggested strong password. Users can take over the process at any point, with manual password changing also available.

Microsoft is hoping to make it tougher to steal Windows passwords

For some reason, these are still the most popular passwords around

Even Fortune 500 businesses have poor password hygiene

Re-using the same password across multiple accounts has long been flagged as a dangerous habit by almost everyone in the security industry, but many people still persist in doing so. Recent research from SpyCloud found that 64% of passwords are beingused across multiple accounts, with almost 70% of users whose credentials were part of a data breach or leak still reusing the same exposed passwords.

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Duplexis Google’s cutting-edgechatbottechnology that the company sees as part of the future of mobile devices. First revealed back in 2018, the platform is now available to many Android users, offering help across tasks such as making phone calls and booking reservations.

However, itsDuplex on the Weboffshoot also offers a number of automation functions, with password-changing just one of the first revealed by the company.

Via9to5Google

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK’s leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he’s not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.

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