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Before we get to passwords, surely you already have in mind that Google knows everything about you. It knows what websites you’ve visited, it knows where you’ve been in the real world thanks to Android and Google Maps, it knows who your friends are thanks to Google Photos. All of that information is readily available if you log in to your Google account. You already have good reason to treat the password for your Google account as if it’s a state secret.

You already have good reason to treat the password for your Google account as if it’s a state secret. But now the stakes are higher. You’re trusting Google with the passwords that protect the rest of your life – your bank, your shopping, your travel, your private life. If someone learns or guesses your Google account password, you are completely compromised. The password has to be complex and unique. You have to treat your Google account password with the same care as a LastPass user. Perhaps more so, because it’s easier to reset a Google account password. If your passwords are saved in Chrome, you should strongly consider using two-factor authentication to log into your Google account. I’ll talk about that in the next article.

Computer security[edit] A mistake in just one component can compromise the entire system.