Is Google Password Manager Safe to Use in 2024?

If you end up largely within the Google ecosystem to your day-to-day on-line actions, you will have questioned if the free Google Password Manager is secure sufficient as your sole password supervisor in 2024.

While Google Password Manager goals to simplify password administration by providing some important options, together with — password storage, password era, auto-filling, and safety alert, the principle concern stays — how secure is the device in in the present day’s cyber-threat-infested panorama?

In this 2024 Google Password Manager evaluate, I seemed into how the answer works, exploring its options, advantages, and disadvantages. I’ll additionally allow you to resolve if it’s the correct selection to your safety wants and counsel alternate options if it doesn’t match the invoice.

What is the Google Password Manager?

This is a password supervisor supplied by Google to assist customers handle, retailer, and auto-fill their passwords throughout web sites and Google apps. As you’d anticipate, it’s built-in into Google’s ecosystem, together with Chrome browser, Android OS, and Google Drive to permit you to save and sync your passwords to a Google Account. You may use the device in your iPhone, iPad, and pc by signing in to your Google account in Chrome. For different browsers like Safari, Edge, and Firefox, you could register with a passkey.

How does Google Password Manager work?

Google Password Manager isn’t like many different devoted password managers that make it simple to entry your passwords on any machine or browser. It’s fully Google-specific, that means it may possibly solely work effectively with the Google Chrome browser on Android gadgets. However, you possibly can nonetheless entry the device if you’re on the iOS prepare, however you’ll have to log in to your Google account to make it work.

SEE: Are Password Managers Safe to Use? (TechRepublic)

From my first-hand expertise utilizing an Android machine, Google Password Manager can carry out the capabilities I defined under.

Password era

Google Password Manager can generate safe, random passwords for you when signing up for a brand new web site or app. Using the characteristic is straightforward, as all you should do is click on on the password textual content field after which on the “Suggest Strong Password” drop-down menu. You can hold clicking Suggest Strong Password for extra choices. The dialog field will remind you that Google Password Manager will save your chosen password.

Password autofill

This characteristic helps you autofill your saved passwords or usernames once you go to a web site or open an app synchronized together with your Google account. You could also be prompted to verify the auto-filled credentials or choose from a number of saved accounts.

Password checkups and alerts

Google retains your account secure from assaults with Password Checkup. The device checks your saved passwords in opposition to databases of recognized safety breaches. It alerts you in case your passwords are weak, reused, or compromised and gives suggestions for creating sturdy passwords.

Password import and export

Google can permit you to export or import your passwords to the Google Password Manager in Chrome. During testing, I observed I can solely import passwords within the .csv file format to Google Password Manager. And the imported passwords are capped on the 3,000 most restrict. To import extra, I needed to cut up the passwords into a number of .csv recordsdata and import the recordsdata individually.

On-device encryption

With this encryption methodology, Google makes use of your machine to encrypt your passwords earlier than they’re saved in Google Password Manager. This ensures that solely you could have entry to your passwords. However, you should watch out once you activate this characteristic as a result of should you lose the important thing, you additionally threat shedding entry to your passwords.

How to entry your Google Password Manager on Chrome

To entry the Google Password Manager device on Chrome, observe this step under:

Sign in to your Google account in Chrome > Tap the three dots within the prime proper nook of the window > Navigate to Settings and click on the button > Click Google Password Manager.

From the Password Manager tab, you possibly can see an inventory of your saved passwords, carry out password well being checkups, and a Settings choice to carry out password export and import.

What are the downsides of Google Password Manager?

Although the Google Password Manager permits for secure password era, password checkup, and different options, it will not be the optimum answer or be thought-about among the finest free password managers. Here are a couple of drawbacks to the device that I observed throughout testing:

Unclear safety encryption

Google Password Manager’s encryption strategies are usually not completely detailed for customers. Again, the platform’s code isn’t open supply, so there’s no solution to confirm whether or not your information is safe, and this will likely increase considerations in regards to the security of your delicate info.

Works effectively with solely Chrome

Google Password Manager is constructed into Chrome (on all platforms) and each Android app. So, should you fondly use a unique net browser, you may discover it tough to make use of the device. To use your Google-saved passwords on browsers like Safari, Edge, and Firefox, you could first register together with your passkey.

SEE: 5 Best Free Password Managers for 2024 (TechRepublic)

Weak two-factor authentication

When you log into your Google account from a brand new machine, Google makes use of two-factor authentication to verify your identification. However, I observed that 2FA isn’t required earlier than accessing your saved passwords, and it is a main safety concern since your passwords will be accessed as soon as an attacker will get your Google account login particulars.

Lacks some superior options

I additionally discovered that Google Password Manager doesn’t supply some superior options present in different devoted password administration providers like NordPass and 1Password. For occasion, it lacks a built-in 2FA characteristic, the choice to create hide-my-email aliases, encrypted vault performance, the aptitude to securely share passwords with others outdoors the Google ecosystem, a standalone app, and so forth.

What Reddit customers say about Google Password Manager

I checked some Reddit communities to see the opinions of different real-world customers on Google Password Manager. Here is a abstract of what they’re saying:

Some Reddit users I found in a Yubikey community believed that utilizing Google Password Manager is approach higher than not utilizing any password supervisor in any respect. Even although the device can’t provide the strong safety accessible in some devoted password managers like 1Password and Bitwarden.

SEE: 5 Best Password Managers for Android in 2024 (TechRepublic)

Other customers have been additionally anxious in regards to the security of their passwords or credentials, like this Reddit user in a cybersecurity community who asked — “I’ve been contemplating utilizing a password supervisor, however from my admittedly poor understanding, it looks like that makes a single level of failure. How are these passwords saved? If somebody received entry to my Google account, would they all of the sudden have entry to each service I exploit with my credentials saved within the password supervisor?”

In addressing the query within the cybersecurity group, some customers argued that attackers can lay palms in your saved passwords as soon as they achieve entry to your Google account. Others counsel it’s higher to decide on a devoted password supervisor with much less assault floor or activate multi-factor authentication should you should proceed utilizing Google Password Manager.

Google Password Manager alternate options

If you aren’t glad with the Google Password Manager and wish to attempt a devoted password supervisor as a substitute, listed here are the highest Google Password Manager alternate options I examined throughout this evaluate.

NordPass: Best password supervisor various to Google Password Manager

NordPass provides good password safety for private {and professional} use at an affordable worth. It protects your accounts by utilizing the xChaCha20 encryption algorithm. Aside from having necessary options like breach scanner, encrypted vault, and password well being, it additionally has a brand new characteristic known as electronic mail masking, which you should utilize to guard your electronic mail tackle on-line. Google Password Manager, then again, isn’t open about its safety encryption methodology; whereas having breach scanner equal in password checkup, the method itself isn’t zero-knowledge.

1Password: Best various to Google Password Manager for cross-platform compatibility

1Password is a extremely safe and feature-rich password supervisor with an easy-to-use Chrome extension. 1Password permits you to securely share logins, bank cards, and extra with folks. One factor I like about 1Password over Google Password Manager is that you may create expiring hyperlinks to share single gadgets with anybody — even when the particular person doesn’t use 1Password. Again, in contrast to Google Password Manager, which solely works effectively with the Chrome browser, 1Password then again has browser extensions for Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple’s Safari.

Keeper: Best Google Password Manager various for enterprise utilization

Keeper is an effective password supervisor that mixes stringent safety features with a user-friendly expertise. I picked Keeper as a superb various as a result of it gives real-time information on safety dangers with complete visibility, management, occasion logging, and reporting appropriate for giant enterprises. It has additionally handed an impartial safety audit, which ensures consumer information is safe. In distinction, Google Password Manager doesn’t current you with any type of visibility into password administration, and it has not been audited as a consequence of its closed-source nature.

Is a devoted password supervisor value it in 2024?

While Google Password Manager may give you some primary password administration options, together with password era, auto-filling, and password checkup, it nonetheless can’t be in comparison with devoted password managers in lots of different areas past the fundamental options.

SEE: 5 Reasons Why You Should Use a Password Manager (TechRepublic)

Today’s on-line panorama is fraught with many cyber threats, and solely a devoted password supervisor can supply superior options like zero-knowledge encryption, cross-platform compatibility, journey mode, and safe password sharing and inheritance choices for satisfactory safety. Larger enterprises may discover devoted password managers extra helpful as a consequence of their customization, impartial firm focus, and higher buyer assist techniques.

So, the selection of your password supervisor relies on your on-line safety wants. But one factor I’d advise is that should you’re a big enterprise, it could be higher to go for a devoted password supervisor, however should you solely want a password supervisor for primary, particular person safety, then the Google Password Manager is an effective choice because it’s fully free.

FAQs

Can Google password supervisor be trusted?

While higher than having no password supervisor, Google Password Manager’s safety leaves a lot to be desired. Its closed-source nature and lack of zero-knowledge encryption ought to be of nice concern.

SEE: Why Your Business Needs Cybersecurity Awareness Training (TechRepublic Premium)

Is Google password checkup secure?

Yes. Google password checkup lets you get particulars on any password uncovered in an information breach and any weak, easy-to-guess passwords in your Google Password Manager.