Thread: Chrome and Windows 8 security risk

My computer just restarted a few minutes ago to install updates.

I have windows 8 and several different browsers installed because I build web pages and have to test them out across all the popular browsers.

I haven't built any pages since installing all the browsers on this new laptop though and so I haven't actually use any browsers other than firefox.

So after the reboot, I click on firefox so that I can continue reading threads here and not only does Firefox open, but Chrome takes it upon itself to open as well. Not only did it open, it opened logged into my teenage daughters Chrome account, which is linked to her gmail and various other sites. It had all of my daughter's browser history as well as any and all of her saved passwords for accounts she uses.

Lucky for her, I am not the type of parent who snoops on her teen and I called her in immediately so she could see what I was magically given access to. The only explanation I can come to is that because we use the same network apparently the chrome information was directed at any computer on the network that had chrome installed. Rather than being specific to her particular computer id or ip.

She is writing Chrome a scathing letter and so am I.

But be warned that Google Chrome is a huge security risk. If you use it on a shared network, don't expect that your use of chrome or your private email is actually private. If someone else on the network opens chrome there is a chance they will be automatically signed into your account.

In case you are wondering, no, my daughter has NEVER used my laptop to surf the net. She has always had her own. And she has always been the only one to use Chrome. I have never trusted it. I don't trust google either. When a company becomes as invasive and all encompassing of someone's life like they have, they have the ability to do just about any thing. And corporations have a tendency to do as much as they can get away with.

Lies :P

lol its your decision whether or not to believe me. I have never told anyone not to use chrome, I have always kept my distrust of them to myself mostly. But being randomly logged into my daughter's account scared the hell out of me. What if I had a chrome account and had used it in places other than home and strangers saw all my passwords and emails.

I'd never know about it. My daughter wouldn't have known if I hadn't told her.

Nah, I believe you. But I have a suspicion that something was overlooked. Such as she really did sign in on your laptop. Maybe not into Gmail. Maybe into one of the other Google services, such as YouTube. That would also mean signing into Gmail and the rest of the Google services.

And Google accounts stay logged in for a very long time.

I'm a bit of a nerd and my laptop never leaves my side. I also have a password lock on it htat she doesn't know. We are all very territorial of our computers in this house. using someone elses computer is like wearing their dirty underwear. It just feels gross. My daughter has the same attitude about it as I do. I even offered to let her check out my laptop when I first bought it. She didn't want to. Granted, she knows (or assumes) that I know how to recover deleted files and browsing history. She would never open her email on my machine or do any of her browsing. She knows that I know what kind of sites she visits, but she doesn't necessarily want me to actually see them.

It's like having a kid who works as a stripper or something. If I were a stripper and my mom knew, that would be one thing, it would be totally different if she showed up at my place of work while i was working. lol.

I think it was just an issue of her not logging out of chrome on her machine and since we are on the same lan, when it somehow opened on my computer the cookie somehow transferred to my computer. maybe a problem with our router or just that chrome doesn't make its cookies machine specific. Because she was logged in on her computer when it logged me in on mine.

we switched internet providers a couple of months ago and the new company doesn't allow me to manually set ip addresses for each machine. it could be that when ips were renewed I got her previous ip. But still there are comp ids that could be used rather than simple ip addresses.

But you can still assign manual IP's for each machine locally. 192.168- or 172.16- or 10.0- or whatever system you are using. Nothing to do with your ISP what's going on past the router.

true but that requires that i touch all the other dirty computers in the house... eeewww

Hahah, yesh, that it does. Or you can tell them to set a particular IP themselves. Filthy, dirty computers! Eww!!

Someones account should not have been signed in on a computer they've never used, automatically, by Googles crappy Chrome product leaving them unaware- Period. Nothing was over-looked.
It's even weirder in that she clicked Firefox to open, and chrome opened- complete with access to someone elses email messages without them ever having provided that kind of authorization.

Nothing was over-looked. It's typical sorry sad affair from Google. Google has never provided anything less than Full Crap products chock full of security holes.
This one takes the cake.

I think you are overconfident in that statement, but that's cool. I am going to remain skeptical. Because if this is true, it will be making the news within the week. We shall see. And no "they are going to sweep it under the carpet" conspiracy theories about big bad Google megacorporation, please

Is is also dubious how you single out the browser as the absolute 100% one at fault when in a network there can be a million things that go wrong.

Originally Posted by pyoko

Is is also dubious how you single out the browser as the absolute 100% one at fault when in a network there can be a million things that go wrong.

By all means, then- please use Chrome. Vigorously. Do your online banking there. Enjoy.

If it makes the news and it turns out true, I'll eat my hat.

P.S. I don't have a hat.

well...if u r still there......join the crowd.....don't turn into a google hater though....and be sure to put things in perspective....everything has a good AND bad side.....just gravitate more to the good and leave the bad unto itself.......you are free to choose your Master.......Master yourself and you won't need a Master..and just enjoy the ride....

Originally Posted by pyoko

If it makes the news and it turns out true, I'll eat my hat.

P.S. I don't have a hat.

Did you eat it due to an earlier error of assessment?