Mozilla plans bake its Lockwise password manager into Firefox 70, the upgrade now set to launch Oct. 22.
According to Firefox, Lockwise – the name of the tool – will automatically record username-and-password pairs, generate complex passwords on demand, identify user names and passwords that have been leaked by a data breach and instruct users to change the leaked passwords.
When creating a new login, users can enter a username as before, but now have Firefox crank out a password, just as dedicated third-party password managers – 1Password, for instance – do. In Firefox, right-clicking in the “Password” field and selecting “Use a Securely Generated Password” builds one. The resulting password – there was just one, a placeholder, as it didn’t appear the functionality is yet live – included letters, both upper- and lowercase, and numbers.
Some of the password-related changes for Firefox 70 come courtesy after the fusion of Lockwise and Firefox Monitor. The latter arrived first – in November 2018 – as an in-browser notification when a user steers toward a site that has had a recent breach. Since its inception, Monitor has been the visible UI (user interface) for a partnership between Mozilla and the Have I Been Pwned? site and service. Lockwise, (née Lockbox), came in May as an add-on for desktop Firefox, following on already-in-action Android and iOS password managers from Mozilla.
The two work together, an interesting collaboration that no other browser has thought to mimic. While the Lockwise-Monitor combination in Firefox Nightly was free for the using, users shouldn’t be surprised if Mozilla puts the pairing – or an even more feature filled version – behind a paywall. Mozilla has made no secret of its desire to Mozilla has made no secret of its desire to boost revenue by selling subscriptions of some sort, probably to individual or a suite of services, that amplify the browser.
Firefox 70 is currently on Mozilla’s release calendar as an Oct. 22 launch. Between now and then, Firefox 69 is to debut Sept. 3.
This story was originally published by Computerworld.