Google says “sorry” after a bug stopped Windows users from finding or saving their passwords. The issue began on 24th July and stayed till 25th July, before it was fixed. The problem, google said was due to “a change in product behavior without proper feature guard,” an incident sharing similarities with the recent Crowdstrike disruption.
The disappearing password problem affected Chrome users worldwide, causing them trouble finding saved passwords. Users even had trouble finding newly saved passwords. Google has fixed the issue now, saying the problem was in the M127 version of Chrome Browser on Windows devices.
Who were the victims?
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact numbers, but based on Google’s 3 Billion Chrome users worldwide, with the majority of Chrome users, we can get a positive estimate. According to experts, around 15 million users experienced the vanishing password problem. "Impacted users were unable to find passwords in Chrome's password manager. Users can save passwords, however it was not visible to them. The impact was limited to the M127 version of Chrome Browser on the Windows platform," said Google.
The password problem is now fixed
Fortunately, Google has now fixed the issue, users only need to restart their Chrome browsers. “We apologize for the inconvenience this service disruption/outage may have caused,” said Google. If a user has any inconveniences beyond what Google has covered, they are free to contact Google Workplace Support.
Chrome Password Manager: How to use it?
Google's Chrome password manager may be accessed through the browser's three-dot menu by selecting Passwords & Autofill, then Google Password Manager. Alternatively, you can install the password manager Chrome app from the password manager settings and then access it from the Google Apps menu. If Chrome invites you to autofill a password, clicking Manage Passwords will take you directly there.
Things that went missing besides passwords recently
According to cybersecurity reporter Brian Krebs, the email verification while creating a new Google Workplace Account also went missing for a few Chrome users.
The authentication problem, which is now fixed, allowed threat actors to skip the email verification needed to create a Google Workplace account, allowing them to mimic a domain holder at third-party services. This allowed a threat actor to log in to third-party services like a Dropbox account.
