Gmail password manager may do more harm than good

Google has added a new layer to its password protection strategy, according to Geek.com, by remembering old passwords and storing them on its Gmail server. But while this practice may have noble intentions, it may introduce its own online security dangers.

According to the news source, Google's latest strategy is intended to help those who often struggle to keep track of all their login credentials. With consumers often rotating a few easy-to-remember passwords across their collection of online accounts, they may accidentally try to access their email with a previously used password that has been transferred to another active account. When Gmail detects a user attempting to login with their old passwords, a prompt now appears reminding them that the password was recently changed.

This practice seems innocent enough, but it could be dangerous for users entrusting their old passwords to Gmail administrators. If hackers were to infiltrate Gmail servers, they could discover these password logs and utilize this information to compromise user accounts on separate sites.

With popular sites like Facebook and Gmail consistently drawing the attention of talented cybercriminals, it may be wise for customers to adopt an insurance policy and employ a password organizer tool of their own to limit their vulnerability.