We all know that we should use strong, secure passwords online and that we should never use the same password for more than one online account. And with hackers lurking in dark corners of the internet trying to intercept log-in details and gain access to accounts, it's more important than ever that we heed this advice.
If the worst did happen and hackers managed to gain access to one of your accounts, though, how would you know? Unless the security breach is flagged by the company you hold the account with, the reality is that it could take some time before you noticed anything was wrong.
Password Checkup
Now, Google hopes to take the guesswork out of online security with Password Checkup. This handy, free tool checks your username and password details against the four billion entries in its database of leaked account details and will alert you immediately if it finds a match. It works in the background as you go about your online business, using the details you enter to log in to your various online accounts. All the information it collects about your usernames and passwords is held in an encrypted database, which even Google employees can’t access.
As Password Checkup is a plug-in for the Chrome web browser on a computer (it doesn't work on smartphones or tablets), you'll have to switch to this browser if you don't already use use it.
Protecting you across all accounts
To make logging in to different accounts easier, some websites and apps let you sign in using the username and password you use to access Gmail, Google Docs or any other Google service. Now Google has announced a new feature, Cross Account Protection, to protect your details when you do this.
As things currently stand, if Google thinks someone has managed to hack into your Google account, it has security measures in place to put things right. However, these measures don't protect you when you use your Google login details to access websites and apps beyond Google.
Now, though, any website or app with Cross Account Protection in place will be alerted if Google thinks your Google account details have been compromised. This means they can take action to help protect you, too, such as logging you out automatically and asking you to log back in, for instance.
Do I need to install it?
Although most of us are clear on what we should be doing to keep our usernames and passwords safe online, there's always room for user error or even just plain old bad luck. Password Checkup and Cross Account Protection add useful extra layers of protection for added piece of mind - and they won't cost you a penny.
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