As with many other types of data, today’s Internet browsers store a fair amount of user data. This is something that is done largely in order to improve the user experience with the program. Thus, it will be of great help to us when it comes to automatically accessing the online platforms and services in which we registered in the past. Otherwise, every time we try to enter any of these that need credentialswe would have to introduce them, which is somewhat cumbersome.
But of course, this data is sometimes very sensitive and we do not want it to fall into the wrong hands, hence the care we must take with it. It must be said that browsers as such have their own built-in protection systems. However, if we extract all this to a file, the security what is stored in it will depend on ourselves, as is the case that will occupy us below.
Possibly in most cases it goes without saying that this backup that we are going to carry out is highly sensitive. Therefore, once we have that file in our hands, we recommend that you take some precautions beforehand about it. For example, if we have the opportunity to encrypt that file with a specific program, we should not hesitate to do so. In this way, all those who want to access its content will have to have a master key to make it. We can use applications that allow us to add a password to access the files, protect the document in .csv format from Excel with a password or compress it with WinZip, WinRar or any other application and add a password that prevents decompressing and accessing the contents of the file. archive.
Also, on the other hand, it also goes without saying that we should store that file, encrypted or not, on an external drive and keep the site safe. What is absolutely not recommended is to keep a backup copy of our browser passwords on the same drive where we have the program. Therefore, here it is best to use, for example, a USB memory and store it where no one else has access. If we are not very clear about what to do with the list of passwords, it is best not to extract it from the computer, since it is the safest place to store it. If anyone accesses our equipment and wants to check the passwords, they will need our PIN code to access them.
Export passwords to CVS from the browser
It is true that for all those who take care of their privacy at most, the fact that browsers keep such sensitive data inside is not entirely accepted. But with everything and with this we must keep in mind that most of these programs allow us to deactivate this functionality so that these passwords are not saved automatically. Despite the fact that this change may have a negative impact on the user experience of the program, thus no one will have access to these password if any security vulnerability occurs in the browser as such.
All web browsers will offer us this function, although in some of them they may be disabled or more hidden than they should be, for security reasons. Next, we are going to see how we can easily remove passwords from any browser.
Chrome
First of all, we are going to start with the internet browser that is undoubtedly the most widely accepted worldwide. Hence, we place it at the top of this list since around 70% of users opt for this proposal to move around the internet. As with most of its competitors, by default Google Chrome stores the passwords that we use on the different web pages in which we register. But we can make some changes such as deactivating the function or exporting these contents, which is precisely what interests us in this case.
Export these browser passwords
The function of exporting passwords from Google Chrome It has been available in the browser for quite some time, and it is also activated by default. To do this, what we have to do is write the following in the address bar, to go to the Chrome password section:
chrome://settings/passwords
Here we can see a list with all the passwords that are saved in the browser. We must click on the button that appears above the list of passwords so that the menu from which we can choose the possibility of exporting passwords appears.
We choose the option to export, and the browser will warn us that, if we do, anyone will be able to see the passwords. We accept the message and then we will have to authenticate ourselves in Windows with the administrator password or Windows Hello.
Now we will only have to choose the name and the directory where we want to save this password file and that’s it. Chrome exports the passwords in a CSV, which we can easily open with Excel.
In addition, this is a file format that is used for this type of task specifically due to its internal structure. At the same time we can affirm that it offers an enormous compatibility with many office programs, including the aforementioned Excel that is part of office. But with everything and with it we find other applications equally related to this sector of software and with which we can open and edit the contents of this CSV file that we have just generated.
It must be taken into account that on many occasions we extract these passwords and save them in the aforementioned file to export them or as a backup copy. Therefore, we should not have problems when viewing its content for compatibility reasons.
Check if they have been leaked
There is no doubt that one of the biggest problems we can face related to everything that has something to do with security is the online leak of our personal passwords. This can happen at any time due to a security breach exploited by attackers on one of the many internet platforms where we have entered our personal credentials.
Hence precisely the need, as we have mentioned on many occasions, not to use the same access password in all the applications and services in which we register. In this way, if this personal data is leaked on a certain platform, our data on the rest will be safe. Hence precisely the export and import movements that we are carrying out at this moment in all our browsers.
But it may be the case that before carrying out this export of passwords in Google Chrome, out of curiosity we are going to see if these elements have been filtered over time on the Internet. Obviously, in case it continues like this, we should change that access password as soon as possible so that it cannot be used by potential attackers. We tell you all this because Google Chrome itself incorporates its own verification function password leak.
This is something that we can take advantage of by accessing the browser configuration window again. In this specific case we are going to go to the Autocomplete section and then to Password Manager. Here we are going to find a button that says check passwords where we click for the browser itself to do a online search about possible leaks.
Firefox
If something characterizes this browser that the developer Mozilla offers us, it is if you want to enter the privacy offered to all its customers. While this is one of the main complaints from Google Chrome users, in Firefox a good part of the telemetry and monitoring functions proposed by the Google Chrome software are corrected. search giant. As it could not be otherwise, it also allows us to export these security elements, as we are going to show you below. All this will allow us to make a backup copy of this very private data in the event that we need it.
And it is that leaving aside everything related to privacy and security that certain applications offer us, this is a function that we find in the vast majority of browsers. The main reason for all this is the improvement in the user experience when carrying out certain tasks on the websites we visit and in which we are going to need some type of authentication.
The export passwords function is available from Firefox 78 in your Lockwise password manager. In order to export these passwords, what we must do is open the browser’s password manager by typing in the address bar:
about:logins
Once here, we will open the password manager options menu and choose the “Export logins” option.
Firefox will warn us that the passwords are going to be saved in plain text. We accept the message and then we will have to authenticate with the Windows password or with Windows Hello.
Ready. Like Chrome, Firefox will export passwords to a CSV file, which can be easily opened with Excel. After the disappearance of Lockwise at the end of 2021, if we want to manage or consult the passwords stored in Firefox, we must only use the browser from our mobile device, since the Lockwise application for iOS and Android is no longer available in the respective application stores. for mobile.
edge
Since Microsoft edge is based on Chromium, the way to export passwords from this browser is practically the same as Chrome. What we must do is write the following in the address bar to go directly to the Edge password manager section:
edge://settings/passwords
Here we will click on the button with the 3 points that appears next to the saved passwords and we will choose the option to export passwords, as shown in the image.
Like the other browsers, Edge will warn us that the passwords are going to be exported in plain text and that anyone could see them. We accept, and we will have to authenticate with Windows Hello or with a password to continue.
Edge will export the passwords in a CSV file, which we can open with Excel, or a similar program, to see all the passwords.
Opera
Opera It’s also Chromium-based, so the process for exporting passwords is identical to Chrome or Edge. We must access the “opera://settings/passwords” section from the address bar and press Enter.
In fact, many of the common features that we find in this somewhat lesser-known browser, we will also see in most programs based on the Chromium rendering engine. Therefore, in Opera there was going to be no less the possibility of exporting this sensitive and private content to be able to use it in other similar programs.
This will bring up the…