Google Chrome's sync can now be secured with a passphrase

If you believe that Google might look at your passwords and the other data you send through Chrome's integrated sync, worry no more. Starting now, you can use a password for increased sync security.

The passphrase option is currently only available in Chrome's Dev Channel, but these things usually trickle down to the Beta and Stable channels pretty quickly. You can find it in Options > Personal Stuff > Sync > Customize > Encryption tab. Once you set up your passphrase, you won't be able to sync any data to another Chrome install without entering it there as well. Also, Google won't be able to see any of your synced data, since it will be stored encrypted on their servers, and your passphrase itself never leaves your computer(s). One thing to keep in mind is that once you've set a passphrase, you can't remove it without clearing your sync data.

This is a neat addition to the sync feature, yet for complete peace of mind when passwords are involved, a dedicated tool like LastPass will probably work better. Granted, that does require an additional download and setup routine, and some simply won't go through that trouble -- so it's definitely cool that even integrated features receive additional security.

[via Lifehacker]

Tags: cloud, google, google chrome, google-chrome, GoogleChrome, security, sync