Chrome Loses Saved Passwords: Install the Fix Quickly!

Millions of Chrome users lost access to their saved passwords due to a major bug in Google's password manager. Fortunately, a fix has been released to restore them automatically.

Password managers are incredibly useful tools that have become widely used on both computers and smartphones. They greatly enhance our digital security by allowing us to manage numerous strong and unique passwords for the many online services we use daily. However, like any software, password managers can have security flaws and bugs.

This is what happened to Chrome's password manager, which stores passwords with the associated Google account for automatic login to various accounts (email, banking, administration, online stores, etc.). From July 24 to 25, millions of users could not access their saved passwords or save new ones due to a bug. Luckily, a fix has been deployed. Contrary to some reports, the saved passwords in Chrome were not permanently deleted; they were just inaccessible during the incident. The fix has automatically restored them.

The incident, which lasted about 18 hours between July 24 and 25, affected a significant number of users. Google explains in its dashboard that, of the 25% of Windows users who received the Chrome 127 update containing the bug, only 2% experienced the issue. Given Chrome's status as the world's most used web browser, this translates to nearly 15 million people, according to Forbes estimates.

Thankfully, Google has released a fix in a new browser update and issued a public apology. Users are advised to restart Chrome or manually update to the latest version for safety. To do this, go to settings and click "About Google Chrome." The browser will then search for and install the latest updates. Simply relaunch it afterward.

This incident highlights the potential risks of relying solely on password managers. While convenient, storing all your login details in one tool can lead to problems. We all remember the successive breaches of LastPass or the technical flaw that allowed credential theft in major password managers on Android devices. Therefore, it's best to diversify your storage methods or keep local backups of essential identification information.