All browsers have the option to store the logins and passwords used to access websites.
This function is useful to be able to enter the various web accounts quickly, without having to write the passwords every time.
For example, therefore, if every day I access Facebook from my computer that I only use, I can enter my profile by saving the password in the browser used, without therefore needing to write it down the following times.
In modern browsers such as Chrome and Firefox, website passwords can even be synced online to the account of Google and Mozilla, respectively.
This allows you to keep the website passwords saved so you can log in without having to write them, even if you change your PC or using Chrome / Firefox on your smartphone or tablet.
These stored passwords, when they are automatically entered by Chrome or Firefox, are always unreadable and covered by dots or asterisks, so as to preserve privacy in case someone uses the same PC.
In reality, however, it is always possible to recover the passwords saved in a PC with Chrome and Firefox and view them in various ways, even without needing to have the master password of the Google or Firefox account.
This fact is not surprising.
The first security problem of every computer, in fact, is that if it is not used only by the owner, then the data inside it can never be truly safe.
If, therefore, we cannot guarantee that the PC is protected from access by other people, it is important to know that the passwords saved inside it can always be recovered or, conversely, that by putting your hands on another's PC, you can easily find his passwords.
It goes without saying, moreover, that in case you go to use the computer of others, then you will always have to be careful not to save passwords and, for better security, use the incognito or private mode of the browser.
- The recovery of passwords stored in Chrome, of each site, can be done directly from Chrome by pressing the button at the top right with three dots and opening the settings.
Almost among the first options you will find the Password section which allows you to see all the logins used to access the stored websites.
The passwords in this list are covered by dots, but are visible by pressing the eye icon on the right.
The protection that Chrome offers is to tie the vision of the saved passwords to the Windows account used.
You will then be asked to write your Windows login password or PIN to view them.
Note that the passwords saved in Chrome are visible via the web from any PC or mobile phone, by going to the //passwords.google.com/ site.
You will always be asked to enter your Google password in order to see the list of passwords and accounts.
On this page you can activate or deactivate two important options:
- Automatic access to saved sites
- Save new passwords in your Google account when used in Chrome or Android apps.
- Password recovery of sites from Firefox can be done by opening the Settings, in the Privacy and Security section, under Forms and passwords .
Here is the option to save website passwords and the button to view saved logins.
From the window of saved accesses you can then press the Show Password button and see all the credentials used and saved for each web account.
The same can also be done on Firefox for Android and for iPhone.
The passwords of each site stored on the browsers installed on the PC can be recovered in clear , both on Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Opera, including the passwords to access Facebook, Gmail, Google, Twitter and any other account using a small special program : WebBrowserPassView .
This Windows tool is free to download and requires no installation.
After downloading it as a ZIP file, you can extract it to a folder so that you can launch the WebBrowserPassView.exe file which opens the program.
Automatically and without having to do anything else, the list of passwords will be presented, in clear text, saved by browsers, indicating whether it is in Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and so on.
You will also find the site of the account and the username, thus completely discovering every saved credential.
With WebBrowserPassView you can export the selected information into an HTML or CSV text document.
This automatic tool does not work with Firefox 64 bit (which is now the version installed on all newer computers), for which there is PasswordFox, by the same author and very similar.
WebBrowserPassview is available for download at the Nirsoft project web page from which, remember, you can download many other applications to recover network passwords, websites, PCs and wifi routers.
READ ALSO: How to reveal passwords hidden by dots or asterisks .
To protect web accounts from this type of vulnerability it is therefore important that no one can access the PC or phone used, always use two-step authentication or verification, always set an effective lock with password or PIN and maybe use a program like Lastpass, to store and protect login data to websites.
This function is useful to be able to enter the various web accounts quickly, without having to write the passwords every time.
For example, therefore, if every day I access Facebook from my computer that I only use, I can enter my profile by saving the password in the browser used, without therefore needing to write it down the following times.
In modern browsers such as Chrome and Firefox, website passwords can even be synced online to the account of Google and Mozilla, respectively.
This allows you to keep the website passwords saved so you can log in without having to write them, even if you change your PC or using Chrome / Firefox on your smartphone or tablet.
These stored passwords, when they are automatically entered by Chrome or Firefox, are always unreadable and covered by dots or asterisks, so as to preserve privacy in case someone uses the same PC.
In reality, however, it is always possible to recover the passwords saved in a PC with Chrome and Firefox and view them in various ways, even without needing to have the master password of the Google or Firefox account.
This fact is not surprising.
The first security problem of every computer, in fact, is that if it is not used only by the owner, then the data inside it can never be truly safe.
If, therefore, we cannot guarantee that the PC is protected from access by other people, it is important to know that the passwords saved inside it can always be recovered or, conversely, that by putting your hands on another's PC, you can easily find his passwords.
It goes without saying, moreover, that in case you go to use the computer of others, then you will always have to be careful not to save passwords and, for better security, use the incognito or private mode of the browser.
- The recovery of passwords stored in Chrome, of each site, can be done directly from Chrome by pressing the button at the top right with three dots and opening the settings.
Almost among the first options you will find the Password section which allows you to see all the logins used to access the stored websites.
The passwords in this list are covered by dots, but are visible by pressing the eye icon on the right.
The protection that Chrome offers is to tie the vision of the saved passwords to the Windows account used.
You will then be asked to write your Windows login password or PIN to view them.
Note that the passwords saved in Chrome are visible via the web from any PC or mobile phone, by going to the //passwords.google.com/ site.
You will always be asked to enter your Google password in order to see the list of passwords and accounts.
On this page you can activate or deactivate two important options:
- Automatic access to saved sites
- Save new passwords in your Google account when used in Chrome or Android apps.
- Password recovery of sites from Firefox can be done by opening the Settings, in the Privacy and Security section, under Forms and passwords .
Here is the option to save website passwords and the button to view saved logins.
From the window of saved accesses you can then press the Show Password button and see all the credentials used and saved for each web account.
The same can also be done on Firefox for Android and for iPhone.
The passwords of each site stored on the browsers installed on the PC can be recovered in clear , both on Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Opera, including the passwords to access Facebook, Gmail, Google, Twitter and any other account using a small special program : WebBrowserPassView .
This Windows tool is free to download and requires no installation.
After downloading it as a ZIP file, you can extract it to a folder so that you can launch the WebBrowserPassView.exe file which opens the program.
Automatically and without having to do anything else, the list of passwords will be presented, in clear text, saved by browsers, indicating whether it is in Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and so on.
You will also find the site of the account and the username, thus completely discovering every saved credential.
With WebBrowserPassView you can export the selected information into an HTML or CSV text document.
This automatic tool does not work with Firefox 64 bit (which is now the version installed on all newer computers), for which there is PasswordFox, by the same author and very similar.
WebBrowserPassview is available for download at the Nirsoft project web page from which, remember, you can download many other applications to recover network passwords, websites, PCs and wifi routers.
READ ALSO: How to reveal passwords hidden by dots or asterisks .
To protect web accounts from this type of vulnerability it is therefore important that no one can access the PC or phone used, always use two-step authentication or verification, always set an effective lock with password or PIN and maybe use a program like Lastpass, to store and protect login data to websites.
