RedLine Malware alert! Your accounts and passwords saved on Chrome or Edge might be hacked. Know how to check

Keeping Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge login password saved in these Internet browsers is pretty common practice. Most of us save passwords in Chrome or Edge to login next time conveniently. It is usually considered quite safe as these are saved in our Google account. This feature is designed to avoid the hassle of remembering login details for every site you use.

However, some IT researchers have warned internet users, especially employees working from home of the danger of having their Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge password being hacked. They have cautioned users against using such features in any Internet browser after a recent security breach that compromised a company.

According to security experts AhnLab, an employee working remotely reportedly fell victim as they used a VPN to access their company's network. So, who is the culprit?

How RedLine Stealers stole login details and passwords

The employees in this company were doing their job on a device shared with others they live with. They were not aware that it was infected with a piece of information stealing malware called Redline Stealer. The malware reportedly steals sensitive account details and passwords from various sites including information to access the company's VPN. Hackers then used the data to keep an spy on the private business data there.

This scary part is that this malware has the ability to get into the computer or laptop even if it has an antivirus software installed in it. Talking about the malware AhnLab said that even though the account credentials stored in browsers is very convenient, there is a risk of leakage of account credentials if malware is present.

Redline Stealer is pretty cheap and can be bought from ill-reputed areas of the internet for as little as $150. This means it's hard to trace the incident back to a specific group. It first appeared in March 2020, on the Russian dark web when the Covid-19 pandemic began to spread. It works by targeting the database file where the account and password information is stored.

How to avoid Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge malware attack

What the common users can do is to use programs from official clean and clear sources and not from any shady sellers on the Internet. In fact, there have been many apps caught on Play Store that had hidden malware on them. So, users must take extra care and carry out a background check of these apps or files that they are looking to download. If there is even one uncertainty involved, they should shun it. The news portal Metro has reported that malware is distributed through various methods including phishing emails, abusing of Google advertisements, and disguising as a photo editing program.