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Opera 8 to protect from hackers

Date: April 20, 2005
Source: Computer Crime Research Center
By: CCRC staff

Opera Software ASA has released a new version of its browser with upgraded security features to help repel hackers and conmen.

Opera, in Oslo, sees the security issue as one it can leverage to carve into Microsoft's dominance of the browser market with its Internet Explorer.

"We think that security is the reason why people would want to switch browsers," says Opera spokesperson Eskil Sivertsen.

The desktop browser gives extra information about the identity of Web sites, automatically activating an information field that gives a level of security from 1 to 3 and listing the certificate owner of the site when the user visits a secure Web site. The browser can also identify the origins of pop-up Web sites, Sivertsen says.

"The security field lets regular people check the identity of the site, which the URL matches with the security certificate," Sivertsen says. "With phishing attacks, Web site spoofing, and other forms of online fraud becoming more common, we've seen a great need for this technology."

The security field automatically starts when a user visits a secure website, indicating the level of security on a scale of one to three, and showing who owns the security certificate.

"This allows users to better evaluate a site's trustworthiness and minimise the risk of being subjected to online fraud, such as phishing attacks," the news release aid.

Phishing, which stems from the word fishing, is the act of sending an e-mail to an Internet user in an attempt to get private information that could be used for identity theft and fraud.

Opera is the third-largest browser used by consumers to navigate the World Wide Web, although its share is tiny to Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Netscape. (AP)


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2005-05-28 14:57:13 - I would like to say thank you about the... skysurfer
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