Even if you use a password manager and two-factor authentication, chances are some of your credentials have been exposed in the past due to hacks and leaks. Microsoft is introducing a new feature to Edge called Password Monitor, so you do not have to go to a website like Engadget to find out that one of your passwords has been compromised. The next time one of the passwords you have stored at Edge is included in a third party data breach, you will be notified to change it. This way you can reduce potential damage, especially if you have reused the password elsewhere.
In a way, Microsoft is playing catch up here. Both Chrome and Firefox have offered similar features over the past few years, as well as password managers like 1Password and LastPass. What makes Microsoft’s offering intriguing then, however, is that it uses a relatively new kind of approach called homomorphic encryption to ensure that no one at the company, or any other party, can find out your passwords. One of the ways the algorithm protects your data is by allowing a computer to communicate with it without first decrypting the information. It also works with a variety of machines, including those with relatively old CPUs, so anyone can use Password Monitor.