Google launches password security tool

The plug-in will warn you when you have entered your Google password in a non-Google website. Unlike other security tools, such as Googles Safe Browsing, it does not assess whether the website you are on is malicious or not.

The company says that phishing attacks, in which users are tricked into giving up their log-in credentials, can be successful up to 45% of the time. And, the company estimates, roughly 2% of all Gmail messages are phishing messages.

The tool will work for Google and Google Apps for Work accounts. When you use Password Alert, a ‘scrambled’ version of your password is stored on your computer. It then uses that to determine whether it should bring up a warning screen, something it should do any time you type your Google password into a non-Google password field.