It has been a challenging year for Google, marked by a significant glitch in its Chrome browser that affected millions of users. Last week, a bug in the Chrome password manager led to the alarming disappearance of over 15 million passwords, prompting a public apology from the tech giant.
The issue, which occurred between July 24 and 25, prevented users from accessing their saved passwords and hindered the ability to save new ones. Google confirmed that this glitch was specific to the M127 version of Chrome on Windows, impacting approximately a quarter of all Chrome users, with around 15 million relying on the password manager feature.
The password glitch is now fixed
In response to the initial chaos, Google provided a temporary workaround that required users to input an additional command upon launching Chrome. Fortunately, the problem has since been resolved, restoring full access to saved passwords.
While Google Chrome’s password manager is generally regarded as secure, this incident raises important questions about the wisdom of relying solely on one password management solution. To mitigate potential risks, users are encouraged to consider maintaining a backup password manager.
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Not the only problem at Google
However, the password manager glitch was not the only issue plaguing Google recently. A report from Forbes highlighted that email verification for new Google Workspace accounts also encountered failures for some users. This verification lapse posed a serious risk, as it could have potentially allowed unauthorized access to Google Workspace accounts.
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This article originally appeared on our sister publication PC-WELT and was translated and localized from German.
