All articles tagged with #passwords
Carissa Tozzi explains that caring for her 88-year-old mother now includes constant tech support—passwords, verification codes, and navigating accounts she can no longer manage—because older adults often don’t use password managers or multi-device access. She argues that many tech advances assume independence and tech-savviness, turning caregiver tasks into a hidden, time-consuming burden that erodes her mom’s independence.
A daughter caring for her 88-year-old mother moves her into assisted living and finds that managing her mom’s digital life—passwords, verification codes, and two-factor authentication—has become a daily part of care, illustrating how tech designed for the healthy can strip older adults of independence and force caregivers into constant tech support.
iOS 27 introduces AI-powered photo editing (Spatial Reframing and 3D Spatial Scene) with on-device AI and Private Cloud Compute, a Safari Notify Me feature for web-page changes across devices, natural-language Shortcuts automation, a camera-based bill-splitting tool tied to Apple Cash, and an automatic password-change tool in Passwords—marking a more AI-centric iPhone experience that Google/Android are likely to emulate, though some features remain iPhone-only or US-focused.
At WWDC 2026, Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence, an agent-like AI that can automatically detect compromised or weak passwords, navigate sites to change them, and save the new credentials in the Passwords app—reducing the hassle of post-breach updates.
A Guardian reader questions whether passkeys (which can be a PIN or biometrics on a smartphone) are truly safer than traditional passwords, given risks of phone theft or loss. While passkeys align with phishing resistance and stay device-bound, questions remain about real-world scenarios when a phone is compromised. The piece notes that the UK National Cyber Security Centre and others promote passkeys and invites readers to share experiences to better understand their practicality.
Microsoft Edge will stop loading saved passwords into process memory at startup after a researcher demonstrated that credentials stored in Edge’s built-in password manager could be decrypted on launch and dumped from Edge processes. Microsoft initially claimed this behavior was by design but now says a defense‑in‑depth fix will be applied across all Edge channels (including Canary); the change is already live in Edge Canary and will roll out to all supported builds (build 148+). The PoC showed that attackers with admin rights could access passwords from Edge processes, though the threat model did not always cover such cases, and the update aims to reduce in‑memory exposure and strengthen Edge security overall.
Security researcher finds that Microsoft Edge loads all saved passwords into memory in cleartext on startup and keeps them in memory for the entire session, making them easier to harvest by memory reading; Microsoft says the behavior is by design, and exploit would require admin access; experts urge against storing passwords in browsers and recommend MFA or passkeys.
A security researcher disclosed that Microsoft Edge decrypts and loads every saved password into plaintext within the browser’s process memory at startup, unlike Chrome which decrypts on demand and uses App-Bound Encryption. This creates a wide attack surface in shared or multi-user environments since credentials are present in memory for the entire session, even though Edge still prompts for re-authentication to view passwords. Microsoft says the behavior is by design, leaving security teams to consider disabling or mitigating this risk until Edge adopts on-demand decryption and stronger protections.
A new data dump has exposed 48 million Gmail usernames and passwords, underscoring ongoing risks from credential stuffing and password reuse; users should enable two-factor authentication, rotate compromised passwords, and monitor accounts for suspicious activity.
Passkeys are a more secure and user-friendly alternative to passwords, using public-key cryptography to prevent theft and phishing, but widespread adoption is still in progress, so maintaining strong password habits remains important.
The article discusses the vulnerabilities of password-based authentication, the potential of passkeys as a more secure alternative, and the challenges and concerns related to passkey implementation, user experience, and vendor lock-in, emphasizing the importance of user-friendly and secure authentication methods.
Microsoft is discontinuing the use of passwords in its Authenticator app starting August 1, shifting users to passkeys, a safer authentication method using biometrics or PINs. Users should prepare by setting up passkeys and choosing a new password manager, with recommendations including Bitwarden and 1Password, to enhance account security and transition smoothly from traditional passwords.
Microsoft is urging its billion users to delete stored passwords within 72 hours and switch to passkeys for enhanced security, aiming to phase out passwords entirely and combat rising account attacks.
The article advises users to delete passwords stored in Google Chrome due to security risks and switch to dedicated, secure password managers that offer better protection, such as zero-knowledge encryption and hardware security, especially as major companies push for passwordless authentication methods like passkeys.
Microsoft will delete all saved passwords in its Authenticator app on August 1, urging users to export and migrate their passwords to other password managers or browsers, as part of a move to promote passkey technology and streamline security features.