Autofill in the Chrome browser is convenient, but there are security holes, says Google.
The tech giant said this week that the next version of the Chrome browser, coming in October, will try to stop users from filling out forms on secure pages that have been submitted insecurely.
The issue at hand is apparently secure HTTPS websites (websites that start with “https” and show a locked lock icon to the left of the website address). Sometimes these pages may contain forms that are not secure and require the user to fill in sensitive personal and financial data.
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“These ‘mixed forms’ … are a risk to users’ security and privacy,” Google said, adding that “information submitted on these forms may be visible to lockers, making malicious parties sensitive form data can be read or modified. “
For example, users receive a warning about Autofill, a widely used Chrome feature that automatically fills out forms with stored address or payment information.
When you start filling out a mixed form, you will see a warning warning you that the form is not safe and that Autofill is disabled. If you continue, you will see a “warning for full pages” about the risk and confirm that you want to submit the form anyway.
Before version 86, the only heads-up users received was the removal of the lock icon from the address bar, Google said.
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“We found that users found this experience unclear and it did not communicate the risks associated with submitting data in unsafe forms,” according to Google.
“Without this new feature, a user would have no idea leaving themselves open to stealing their potentially sensitive information through malicious actors,” said Ray Kelly, chief security engineer at WhiteHat Security, a San Jose, California-based application security provider. Fox News.
However, Google notes that although Autofill will be disabled, on mixed forms with login and password prompt, Chrome’s password manager will continue to work with users to enter unique passwords.
“It’s safer to use unique passwords, even on forms that are submitted insecurely, than to use passwords,” Google added. Using passwords across multiple websites is a big no-no that Google has warned about before.
Making forms safer is part of Google’s efforts to increase the security of sensitive data. The company announced at the end of July that users can now confirm their credit card with biometrics.
Currently, when a user stores their credit card in their Google Account, Chrome asks the user to confirm their credit card by entering their CVC before the full credit card number is automatically filled in a form.
“Through, Chrome will be able to enroll your device to recover card numbers through biometric authentication, such as your fingerprint,” Google said in July.
Users still need to provide your CVC the first time they use their credit card. Following this, users can confirm their credit card with biometric verification – avoiding the hassle of pulling a wallet and entering the CVC each time.
Biometric authentication is optional and users can enable and disable this feature in Chrome settings.
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