Password management company LastPass said its product will soon start encrypting URLs stored in the vaults, which will act as an extra layer of protection against hacker attacks.
Each LastPass user creates a “vault,” which is essentially a database of passwords and other sensitive information. This vault remains password protected, but it also keeps track of all the websites the user opens and compares them to the websites they have saved.
If a match is found, it will automatically try to add the username and password to the corresponding fields for a more seamless experience.
Microsoft’s security measures
In the early days of LastPass (basically since 2008), this URL information couldn’t be encoded because it was too taxing on the CPU, slowing down the browser, and wasting too much battery. Therefore, the developers decided to leave the URLs unencrypted.
Now that CPUs are much more efficient and consume less power, the developers decided it was a good time to reintroduce the feature. We’re not sure if this has anything to do with the fact that most OEMs just introduced new ARM-based Windows PCs. ARM appears to be significantly more powerful and energy efficient compared to x86 architecture according to early benchmarks. Apple made the leap a few generations ago with its M-series silicon.
Encrypting URLs in people’s vaults is not an easy task and will need to be rolled out slowly. So far, the process is going as planned, the company said. According to BleepingComputerthe process will take place in two phases: the first phase will start in June and the second sometime in the second half of the year.
Users are not expected to take any action, but if anything changes, LastPass will send appropriate notifications, it is confirmed.