Microsoft Has a New Password Protection Method
In this day and age privacy is everything, while there has been great progress in the data protection laws tech companies still have a long way to go. Microsoft is one of the infamous tech companies and is aware of the security issues we face everyday hence they have come up with a way to ensure our devices stay protected.
Microsoft’s Password Protection Trick
Microsoft included new tools to combat PC password theft with last week’s major Windows 11 2022 update. The first is a warning that appears anytime you use your Windows login credentials to access another website.
The goal is to deter you from using your computer’s password for any other service. If the site you’re “logging into” is a phishing site, hackers will now have access to your PC’s password; nevertheless, even a genuine site might suffer from a password leak. The second option alerts you anytime you input your password into a software in which it is not safe to save it. Microsoft is attempting to dissuade you from storing your passwords in programs such as Word or Notepad, since they do not provide the same level of security as a real password manager. Plus in the event of an attack, if the data share is carried out your passwords will be compromised.
These password security settings aren’t activated by default for whatever reason, and they’re hidden under Settings. To use them, you must in onto your computer using your Windows password rather than Windows Hello. They will not function if you use a PIN to sign into your PC, so you must first disable that option. Go to Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign-in choices, choose the Windows Hello method to deactivate, and then click “Remove.”
Then, go to Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Security > App & browser control > Reputation-based protection settings. Check the Phishing protection, which should already be turned on. “Warn me about password reuse” and “Warn me about dangerous password storage” are two further choices to consider. If you enable both, you will get notifications anytime you input your password in an insecure app.
While users need to be vigilant whenever sharing their personal information, small adjustments such as these are a major step in the right direction. Apple came up with its App Tracking Transparency whereas Google is working on blocking third party cookies. Tech is advancing at an unprecedented pace and tech companies should also work on user security rather than just features.
