My AV program - Passwords

willingz · 19 Nov 2017

Recently I got a pop-up from my AV, telling me the numbers of passwords that I use which it says are weak or duplicated.
This could be true of sites which oblige me to open accounts but where I see no real threat to me should an impostor reach them - meaning the worst that could happen might cause me annoyance but certainly not a financial loss.
But how can the AV provider comment on my passwords unless they know what they are? If indeed they do, this would cause me much concern, so I would be grateful if someone could explain the situation.

Doggit · 19 Nov 2017

Which AV program, and do you save passwords in your browser. Norton has a "password safe" that protects them.

willingz · 20 Nov 2017

Thanks Doggit. Program is AVG Free. I have never knowingly saved passwords, except in a very cryptic form in a Word doc. and without identifying accounts to which they relate. I don't even know how to save passwords in my browser, but do you think it is likely that this might have inadvertently happened?

Doggit · 20 Nov 2017

I would seem that password protection is available with the paid product, so I wonder if it's written into the free products as well, and it's recognising your passwords as they pass through the system. I've got windows 10, and all the browsers keep asking if I want to save a my username and password when I enter them into a site.

willingz · 21 Nov 2017

Thanks again D.
I'll investigate position with AVG.
Final sentence of my last post was stupid. I had forgotten that Firefox does indeed ask if passwords should be saved - despite being brain dead yesterday I'm fairly confident that I have always declined its offers, but it would be doubly not to check with them and so I will.

OldKettle · 24 Nov 2017

AFAIK it is accessing the passwords stored in your browser. It seems that it currently scans passwords stored in Firefox and Chrome.

willingz · 24 Nov 2017

Thanks OldKettle.
Having interrogated AVG at length, I accept their assurance that they do not keep or track passwords.
Having searched Firefox I found there were several old and non-hazardous passwords stored, so I believe the pop-up must have come from them. Its a pity that I did not pay more attention to it - my only excuse being that I'd hardly skimmed it before it disappeared and I must have assumed it was just another message from AVG urging me to buy their paid for service.
I've run many scans and all say there are no problems.
I'm grateful to you and Doggit for your advice.

My AV program - Passwords

willingz

Doggit

willingz

Doggit

willingz

OldKettle

willingz

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