The Spell Checker in Your Web Browser Could Have Leaked Your Passwords

It’s possible that the spell checker in your web browser could have leaked your passwords, though this would be a relatively rare occurrence.

According to a report published by the security firm Proofpoint in 2018, some web-based spell checkers were found to have vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers to steal sensitive information, including passwords. Specifically, the report found that hackers could use a technique known as “keylogging” to capture keystrokes made by users as they typed into web-based spell checkers.

If a user typed a password into a spell checker that was vulnerable to keylogging, an attacker could potentially capture that password and use it for malicious purposes. However, it’s important to note that this type of attack would require the user to be using a vulnerable spell checker and for the attacker to be actively monitoring the user’s keystrokes.

Since the publication of the report, many web-based spell checkers have taken steps to address these vulnerabilities, and most modern web browsers use spell checkers that are not vulnerable to keylogging attacks. However, it’s still a good idea to take basic precautions to protect your passwords, such as using strong, unique passwords and avoiding typing sensitive information into web-based forms or applications that you don’t trust.