Opera does not have anything that could be described as a commanding share of the web browser market, but as one of oldest and best loved browsers in existence, the company still commands respect, and has a collection of die-hard fans, supporters and users.
In the years since releasing their first browser, the company has branched out, and offers an array of cloud-based services. Unfortunately, the company was recently hacked, and if you’re an Opera user who uses the password storing feature of the software, or any of its cloud-based services, you should immediately change your passwords on all the sites you have them saved for.
Details of the breach are still being investigated, but it was apparently deep and pervasive. To be safe, you should take the action recommended by the company.
This matters because although Opera only commands about 2% of the total browser market, it has a user base of some 350 million people, which is nothing to scoff at. Of these, as many as 1.7 million may have been impacted, so your odds of being one of those are low, even if you’re a die-hard user. Nonetheless, the dangers posed by doing nothing and leaving your passwords unchanged are simply too great to ignore.
If you have never given the browser a try, and are looking for something a bit new and different, even after this breach, it is still highly recommended. It is feature-rich, and includes an integrated VPN and native ad blocking, which combine to make it much more attractive than the more commonly used browsers on the market today.
Unfortunately, news of the breach will make it difficult for Opera to rise above its niche status, which is, in some ways, unfair, given that all the major browsers have had their share of hacker-related troubles as well. In any case, it’s well worth a look, and again, if you’re already a user, be sure to change your passwords on all the sites you visit where you’ve stored them such that they autofill.
