Wow, my selections on topics about Google was on fire this morning with stories about the new extension designed to keep your access to accounts safe.
Password Checkup is an extension for Google Chrome designed to:
Wherever you sign-in, if you enter a username and password that is no longer safe due to appearing in a data breach known to Google, you’ll receive an alert. Please reset your password. If you use the same username and password for any other accounts, please reset your password there as well.
Like many people, I have supposedly had my credentials taken in a breach somewhere along the line. This, determined from this website.
It was a wakeup call to me that all these warnings about not using the same password all the time actually made sense. I’m now far more cautious and use very unique passwords everywhere along with two factor authentication wherever possible. I’ve switched to a password manager on my computer to make difficult and unique passwords possible. I’m still not necessarily feeling 100% secure and, until something that comes along to make things more secure, will probably never feel that way. I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad idea either.
I do a spring cleaning periodically and close down accounts that I created at the spur of the moment and then kind of forgot about them. Having had an employer who had a payroll data breach makes the possibilities of problems very real. I think I’ve become a better user as a result.
The irony of using a plugin and browser from a company that relies on personal information isn’t lost on me either.
When was the last time you did a personal security checkup? Would you use a utility like this one? According to the extension site, 568 people are currently using it. Will you be 569?
doug -- off the record 
Please share your thoughts here. I’d enjoy reading them.