Google Chrome Password Generator gets updated in wake of the recent iCloud hack controversy.
A revamped Google Chrome Password Generator is in its testing phase, and is expected to become a staple feature of Chrome once polished. Google is taking proactive measures to ensure the iCloud leaks are prevented in the future, at least in activities made through its browser.
The revamped feature was spotted by François Beaufort Thursday. Beaufort is a browser (Chrome in particular) analyst. "As soon as you focus the password field, a nice overlay will suggest ... a strong and pronounceable password that will be saved in your Chrome passwords."
The open-source Chromium has the password generator in the works for more than two years, but it remained experimental until Google upped it to Canary, with a new user interface to boot.
Google Canary is an unpolished build, similar to Nightly Channel from Mozilla Firefox. Both are updated on a daily basis.
The Google Chrome Password Generator is activated by typing "chrome://flags" on the address bar, and then enabling password generation and save password in Canary.
It's worth noting that Canary is a testing ground for Chrome features; some appear for a time and gets scrapped without notice. It's yet to be determined if the current version of the password generator will ever make it to a final Chrome version, and even if it makes it to Chrome's "Dev" channel for polishing, a working feature will likely come out next year.
A Chrome password maker competes against third-party password managers, some of which tie into other browsers. 1Password, LastPass, and Roboform offer the same service either free or with up to a $50 price tag.
Password protection is often a neglected feature in applications, and security experts blame users for settling for weak passwords in hacking problems. This is part of the issue in the recent iCloud hack, and probably one of the reasons why the Google Chrome Password Generator is being revamped (source: computerworld.com).
