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Without even thinking about it, I typed my password into the Google search bar, but I didn't press enter. Since autocomplete is on, does that mean my password has been logged or indexed somewhere? Would it be a good idea to change my password or is that just being paranoid?

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    Change it just in case. Autocomplete most likely goes over HTTPS but the search engine definitely saved it since they rely on past autocomplete entries to improve it. Apr 28, 2016 at 23:16
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    What search bar? Are we talking google.com, a browser url bar, a browser search engine bar, Android homescreen bar...? Apr 28, 2016 at 23:18
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    Google Search has Google Instant, so your query is submitted even before you press enter.
    – Lie Ryan
    Apr 28, 2016 at 23:55
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    The answer to any "should I change my password if..." question is "yes, but you probably won't."
    – djechlin
    Apr 29, 2016 at 20:58
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    Your input of 123456 into the search bar might trigger that somebody else typing 123 into the search bar is suggested to autocomplete this into 123456. That person might think "Hey, that's a funny character sequence. I guess I'll include it in my dictionary for the next verion of my password hacking tool", and - boom - shortly after many hacking tools attempt to hack accounts by trying 123456 as password. I recommend you don't use 1234656 as password any longer. May 1, 2016 at 15:57

9 Answers 9

96

I highly doubt it.

  • You didn't press enter but Google will sometimes send the information to quickly present your results. This is forced over HTTPS. Your information was likely encrypted and not exposed.
  • According to most sources Google processes on average 3.5 billion searches per day. There is no additional information to prove your query is a password. Nor is there any public way for a person to get the search queries of a particular Google user. So they would have to be an actual employee of Google. The likelihood of a internal Google employee to trying your search queries as passwords to your account is highly unlikely. It might not even be possible for most standard Google employees to get such identifying information. But if so, the possibility of one with such access purposely targeting you is astronomical.
  • Again, there is no additional context to prove it is your password. Nor is your user information submitted with your query. So in the event of a MITM attack where they can read your traffic I would still factor it as real low as they would also have to have your username.

I am going to flat out say there 99.9% chance you have nothing to worry about. If you are wearing a tin foil hat or still have a nervous tick then change your password. If you don't use this password elsewhere then you're golden since it isn't like they could log in with an old password. Otherwise I would move on and not worry about it.

Edit: @reirab made a point it could make it pop up in features that use your search history. I don't believe this happens if you don't press submit. But if you want to be sure clear your search history with Google. I can't be sure this clears it from Google's servers but it should prevent them from popping up in the auto-complete.

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    @Kevin I'm going to assume baconface wasn't really worried that your internal rules would allow this. Instead it is being written from a worst case, NSA spies on everyone, type of perspective.
    – DRF
    Apr 29, 2016 at 9:22
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    @Mindwin: Nothing I say is an official statement.
    – Kevin
    Apr 29, 2016 at 12:47
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    @Kevin you wrote "us". Hard to not take it as speaking for the company. Apr 29, 2016 at 13:50
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    @Mindwin: I don't see the confusion here -- Kevin's comment is not the official statement, but it tells you that an official statement does exist, tells you to read it, and summarizes what you would find if you did.
    – Ben Voigt
    Apr 29, 2016 at 15:49
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    Note that the concern is not just Google employees or the government. Just as I mentioned on another question we had recently from a guy who thought his mother was being able to remotely see his search queries, Google saves your search queries to your Google account. Anyone who gets access to any computer (or other device) on which your Google account happens to be logged in and types the first letter or two of your password into a Google search box will see your password as a search suggestion.
    – reirab
    Apr 29, 2016 at 21:06
45

I recommend that you change your password. The fact is, that your password has been sent to their servers, even if you didn't press enter.

You can test that on your own, open your browser, Ctrl + Shift + I, select network, start typing and monitor traffic.

Here is an example, writing the keyword "test", and not pressing enter.

Pay attention to the letter q, which stand for search query: t, te, tes, test, as you can see this is almost the same thing as a keylogger.

enter image description here

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  • Pressing Ctrl+Shift+I didn't give me the same view as you. I tried Chrome, Firefox, and IE. What browser were you using? And if it was Chrome, what do I click on after Network to get the same view as you? Thanks.
    – kmort
    Apr 29, 2016 at 13:28
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    @kmort Using Chrome, press Ctrl + Shift + I, go to the Network tab. Make sure the developer console is docked to the right. Make sure traffic is being recorded (optionally clear the log), and type. You should see links populate like https://www.google.ca/complete/search?... Click the link, go to the Headers tab, and scroll down to Query String Parameters. If you collapse all the other sections it will be similar to what the picture in the post shows.
    – JSBob
    Apr 29, 2016 at 13:56
  • @JSBob Wow. That is really cool. The step I was missing is clicking on the right URL. Thank you JSBob.
    – kmort
    Apr 29, 2016 at 14:04
25

It has been sent (encrypted) to Google. Change your password

It has probably been logged somewhere, along with many search terms and other junk people have typed there. While it's unlikely it will be used for anything you care or that endangers your account, why bear the risk? Simply changing it will solve it.

PS: I recommend using a browser search bar, with suggestions disabled.

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  • I don't use one bar for everything, but an address bar, which only have history suggestions and will never send anything to any search engine, and a smaller search bar, which shows suggestions from remote servers. Apr 29, 2016 at 11:59
  • @GustavoRodrigues That's also how I prefer it to behave. One can get partway there by using http://%s as the default search engine.
    – kasperd
    Apr 29, 2016 at 16:27
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    Really your information is most secure if you just don't connect to the Internet.
    – djechlin
    Apr 29, 2016 at 20:40
8

Theoretically, you should change your password, as by typing it into google the password is sent to google.
Google does use https however, and I personally wouldn't be too worried about google having my password as a search, but hey, it's not ideal.
Realistically, I think you should be fine, but if you want complete security, it can't hurt to change your password.

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    With google, https is removed after it reaches google servers, and is stored in plain text. Apr 29, 2016 at 0:19
  • That would essentially require an insider at google, or for google to be hacked, right?
    – Stoud
    Apr 29, 2016 at 0:31
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    Or a simple request for a users search history by some government entity ?
    – Chris
    Apr 29, 2016 at 9:26
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    @MarkBuffalo That's not just Google. Every https server has to decrypt the data it receives in order to be able to process it.
    – kasperd
    Apr 29, 2016 at 10:55
  • Yes, of course... but they are apparently transferred across several different servers, and there is apparently a thing going on with MITM. Google will also sell your search results. Apr 29, 2016 at 10:59
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It's doubtful, but consider the following

  • The connection to Google Search is encrypted. As far as we know, Google Search History has not been compromised. In the event you have Google Search and Web History Enabled, your search history could theoretically be accessed by someone who managed to break into your account. You stated that you didn't press enter; it probably was never stored in your account if that's the case.
  • In the event Google logs search suggestions before you hit enter it could theoretically be linked to your IP address and/or account if you were logged in at the time. If your account was court-ordered for information in a timely manner it might be possible for them to retrieve the information and test it against various accounts and/or to use against full disk-encryption. If this is a concern to you then I would change the password in question.
  • If someone is actively attacking your wireless connection, has a false root SSL certificate installed on your computer, or using another MITM technique they might guess that it's a password and use it to aid further attacks.

In the end it depends on two factors: who your adversary is and how valuable the password is. If I were in your given situation I would probably just change my password to stay on the safe side.

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    Voted up because the "In the end it depends on two factors: who your adversary is and how valuable the password is." is key. The currently popular answers are simplistic, as they don't include that point. Adding it to the popular answer. Apr 30, 2016 at 18:13
4

Even though it was probably encrypted as others have stated, there's a risk that it may be displayed again as a suggested search if you were to type the same first few characters as part of a real Google search. If it was displayed again it may be at risk from shoulder surfers.

So I suggest you change your password.

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I think you're asking the wrong question, and will suggest some edits.

Your question ("Because of autocomplete, is my password at risk?") implies you have a single password, and worries about the exposure threat from typing it into a search engine. You probably don't need to worry about that, but you do need to worry that one or more of the sites at which you've entered it has been breached.

These data leaks are common. They impact sites that simply store the password in plaintext (RockU springs to mind) to sites like Ashley Madison, which used a decent algorithm for storage, poorly implemented.

As such, if you have a single password you're using across many sites, it has probably been leaked in association with your email address.

I recommend using a password manager. I think 1Password is a good choice. I use inter-device sync to back up my vault, and I don't store even the encrypted passwords in the cloud.

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Theoretically, yes, since your password has been sent to Google and is most likely stored somewhere along with billions of other short strings.

In practice though, the probability of that password getting out of that database and somehow making its way to an attacker that tries to use it to access your account is several orders of magnitude lower than many other mundane attacks you're constantly exposed to. So unless you're running a super high security system (something like a root DNS server or a root CA certificate), worrying about it would be irrational.

In fact, I'd say there's a good chance that the probability of something going goes wrong while changing your password and you ending up locked out or compromised anyway may be higher than the probability of you getting compromised from that.

-4

It can't be possible (as far as I know PHP and MySQL). That's because PHP (a language in web development) tells MySQL (database server) to store your input after it's SUBMITTED.

And the auto-completion, I don't know much on it or what language is used to make that kind of feature, but I think it just gets what matches more with your string (i.e your password).

As there's actually no database of Google to store accidental passwords that haven't been submitted.

And even IF they (Google) get the password, they can't tell for which account, for what username. So, stop worrying.

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    how then do you respond to all the answers saying that everything you type in the search bar is sent to Google (re: autocomplete, auto-suggestions)
    – schroeder
    Apr 29, 2016 at 18:33
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    How can the search bar return auto-suggestions without "sending" and "processing" on the server-side? Does it really matter what technologies are used?
    – schroeder
    Apr 29, 2016 at 19:00
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    @BenJunior regarding what is meant by "sent", the hole is much deeper, but even if it was as simple as "the autosuggest thing is AJAX", even then the server has knowledge of what was written in the search box, and from there on, since they know the data, there's nothing you can affirm anymore. Apr 29, 2016 at 19:42
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    No need to deal in absolutes. The fact is - Google servers do get to know your password when you type it even without pressing enter. Google then has the ability to do whatever they want with this data. However, the chance that there will be practical consequences is not big, in this case. Whether you consider this "a big threat", or "a reason to relax" depends on the person's situation - what they have to lose, if they are strict or laid-back regarding security and privacy, etc. Apr 29, 2016 at 19:59
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    @BenJunior you are missing the point of the problem with your answer. You state that "it can't be possible". Considering that the question is "has it been logged?" you are stating that the password has not been set to Google because the OP did not hit enter. I think we have shown that to be categorically false. You are now arguing, "it just doesn't matter if it's logged", which is a completely different answer. So, your answer, and arguments, are disconnected, and a little non-sensical.
    – schroeder
    Apr 30, 2016 at 4:57

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