Today we're introducing Brave Accounts, a secure way to sign up for...
Brave@brave
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Aug 28, 2026
~2 min read
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Today we're introducing Brave Accounts, a secure way to sign up for the new Email Aliases feature and future Brave services.
Brave Accounts works differently than essentially every other login system you've used. With Brave Accounts, your password never leaves your device.
Brave Accounts works differently than essentially every other login system you've used. With Brave Accounts, your password never leaves your device.
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When logging into a regular website, your password is sent to its server.
Even if the password is encrypted in transit or hashed on arrival, there's a point the server sees it in plaintext.
This leaves your password vulnerable to unintended logging, snooping, or attackers.
Even if the password is encrypted in transit or hashed on arrival, there's a point the server sees it in plaintext.
This leaves your password vulnerable to unintended logging, snooping, or attackers.
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Stored passwords can also be stolen by data breaches.
In 2012, 117 million passwords were stolen from LinkedIn and 90% were cracked within 72 hours.
To make matters worse, many people reuse passwords so this breach compromised users across multiple services.
In 2012, 117 million passwords were stolen from LinkedIn and 90% were cracked within 72 hours.
To make matters worse, many people reuse passwords so this breach compromised users across multiple services.
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Our solution is a cryptographic protocol called OPAQUE.
The user proves they know the password to the server, and the server proves it's legitimate to the user, all without the password ever being transmitted.
This blog explains the full process: brave.com/blog/brave-acc…
The user proves they know the password to the server, and the server proves it's legitimate to the user, all without the password ever being transmitted.
This blog explains the full process: brave.com/blog/brave-acc…
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The bottom line is that your Brave Accounts password is never transmitted.
This means no accidental logs, no memory scraping, no insider peeking, no "we've discovered a subset of passwords were stored in cleartext" blog post two years from now.
This means no accidental logs, no memory scraping, no insider peeking, no "we've discovered a subset of passwords were stored in cleartext" blog post two years from now.
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While data breaches can still happen, OPAQUE makes them considerably harder.
Stealing the database isn't enough. Attackers would also need the server's secret key. Even then, they can't crack passwords in bulk.
This turns cracking into a slow, account-by-account grind.
Stealing the database isn't enough. Attackers would also need the server's secret key. Even then, they can't crack passwords in bulk.
This turns cracking into a slow, account-by-account grind.
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Also note:
- OPAQUE won't stop phishing. Your password could be captured if used on a malicious page.
- Strong passwords still matter because they protect you from guessing attacks. This is why Brave Accounts rate-limits password attempts and asks for strong passwords.
- OPAQUE won't stop phishing. Your password could be captured if used on a malicious page.
- Strong passwords still matter because they protect you from guessing attacks. This is why Brave Accounts rate-limits password attempts and asks for strong passwords.
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We're excited at the new capabilities that Brave Accounts will unlock for users.
The new version of Brave Sync, coming soon, can be paired with Brave Accounts so you can forgo the current QR code pairing process.
(Yes, we'll keep offering the account-less sync option too.)
The new version of Brave Sync, coming soon, can be paired with Brave Accounts so you can forgo the current QR code pairing process.
(Yes, we'll keep offering the account-less sync option too.)
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You can start using Brave Accounts today with the newly launched Email Aliases feature.
Read this thread to learn how to get started:
Read this thread to learn how to get started:
Brave@brave
Brave on desktop just added Email Aliases, a feature that lets you sign up for online services without revealing your personal email address.
Email Aliases creates unique email addresses that forward to your primary inbox.
Email Aliases creates unique email addresses that forward to your primary inbox.