Google comes with Chrome extension that should prevent phishing

Google has released a Chrome extension that can warn about Google password phishing. By comparing entered text to a hash of the password, the extension can warn when the password is typed on a non-Google site.

The expansion compares entered text with a hash of the Google password. That hash is created the first time a user logs into Google after installing the add-on. The comparison is not performed continuously, but after an entered text has been sent. When the entered text matches the Google password, the user is taken to a warning page. It recommends changing the Google password immediately.

Password Alert also checks the HTML of every page visited, trying to find fake Google login pages. According to Google does not transmit the add-on unless it is used in conjunction with Google For Work. In that case, the administrator can also receive notifications.

The add-on cannot warn the user until their password is entered on a potentially unsafe site. In addition, the warning also kicks in if the password for Google happens to be the same as that for another service. That is something that Google advises against. Javascript must be enabled for the add-on to do its job. The extension is disabled in incognito windows or Chrome apps. For now, the add-on only works with Google account passwords.