Google Chrome browser helps in password management by prompting users to remember their passwords for the websites. These saved passwords can be accessed from the browsers "settings" menu, and to do so Chrome asks user for the Windows password. I understand this is for providing more security.
I read somewhere that the Windows password is hashed using NTLM hash. In order to view the saved passwords in Chrome, I have to provide my Windows password, which is fine. I believe that Chrome must be encrypting the saved passwords using my Windows password.
Now the question is how Chrome automatically fills the web page with the saved password without prompting me for the Windows password. How does Chrome decrypt the saved password for the website? This is really confusing.
Is my Windows password not hashed and Chrome has access to it for decrypting the saved passwords? Or does Chrome save passwords in plain without any encryption?