Web browsers like Google Chrome and Firefox include features that warn users of compromised passwords. These include lists of potential third-party breaches and prompts to change passwords that are being reused across multiple websites or services.
Microsoft Edge is now rolling out a similar feature, according to TechRadar. First announced in March 2020, Password Monitor in Edge will offer the same kind of safeguards as Chrome and Firefox, with a few added niceties.
Password Monitor will inform Edge users of data breaches and other security issues. It will also suggest password changes and implement a new form of encryption. It will also scan the dark web to offer protection “beyond [the] first line of defense,” Microsoft notes on its Edge blog.
But Edge’s Password Monitor differs from Chrome and Firefox in one significant way: a special type of encryption. It uses homomorphic encryption to keep even Microsoft from learning passwords. That includes during its monitoring phase or when users update their information.
The new feature is rolling out to Microsoft Edge users now. In the meantime, it’s always a good idea to change your passwords often, just in case.
