In a recent crisis, tech giant Google faced significant backlash following a critical glitch in Google Chrome that led to the disappearance of passwords for approximately 15 million Windows users. The incident occurred on July 24 and 25, impacting a wide array of sectors including medical institutions, airlines, and banks.
As per a report from Forbes, the disruption stemmed from a “change in product behavior” within Google Chrome, specifically affecting the Google Password Manager—a tool relied upon by over three million users to store and autofill passwords. The issue was traced to the M127 version of the Chrome browser on Windows, which caused previously saved passwords to become inaccessible and prevented new passwords from being saved, added the report.
For nearly 18 hours, affected users were unable to use their stored passwords, creating widespread inconvenience. Google recommended a temporary workaround involving the use of a command-line flag to bypass the issue. Ultimately, the problem was resolved after Google issued a fix, advising users to simply restart their browsers to restore functionality, says the report.
“We apologize for the inconvenience this service disruption or outage may have caused,” stated Google in an official apology to those impacted by the glitch.
Reportedly, the incident has sparked concerns about the reliability of online password managers. Many users depend on these tools for a wide range of activities, from work and healthcare to education and entertainment. This recent glitch underscores the potential risks associated with relying solely on digital password storage solutions. Experts advise users to maintain backup plans and to be cautious with sensitive information stored online.
As the world continues to recover from the fallout of the recent Crowdstrike update issue, which paralyzed numerous businesses globally, this latest incident further highlights the vulnerabilities in our increasingly digital lives.
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Published: 29 Jul 2024, 10:58 PM IST
