Google's Chrome browser has always had the ability to store users' passwords, making it easy to log in to any accounts without having to enter passwords all the time. However, once this becomes a habit, users may start forgetting their passwords.
Chrome hasn't had the ability to export the passwords that are stored by the app, but this all changed Tuesday, March 6, when an experimental feature was added to Chrome.
Chrome Passwords
Google is currently working on the feature to export passwords stored in Google Chrome. Users that are impatient can already try the new feature by switching over to the developer channel and searching for passwords in the Chrome Settings.
Choosing the option "Saved Passwords" brings up the "Export Passwords." When this button is clicked, all the passwords that have been stored by Google Chrome will be exported in .csv text file.
It can also be accessed by typing: chrome://flags/#PasswordExport into the address bar for the desktop and Android versions of Chrome.
This hasn't been officially addressed by Google yet so there is still no timeframe on when the feature will be ready. Users can already try it if they like but it is still currently being tested by developers.
The description for the password export function notes that when it is finally finished, the feature will be released across all versions of the browser including for Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome OS, and Android.
Chrome Password Problems
Keeping all your passwords in the same place may make it easy for hackers to steal a person's entire internet presence in one swoop. Last month, a malware was making its way around with the installation of a popular flight-simulator add-on that would add a 'text.exe' alleged to be a password stealer.
When the 'test.exe' file was scanned through a malware search engine, it was flagged by a number of anti-virus programs as malicious. The program worked by extracting all of the saved usernames and passwords from Chrome.
This 'test.exe' file was actually a form of Digital Rights Management (DRM) system that the company was using. The file was removed from subsequent copies of the program, which some decried as a heavy-handed approach to DRM.
By looking for those who pirated copies of its flight simulator, the company also managed to take private information about the users. Without properly securing the usernames and passwords that it was taking, the company put those users at risk.
