Opera 9.61 Still Not Safe Enough
In a previous article we where announcing that Opera launched version 9.61 in order to address several security related issues. Well, it seems that although version 9.61 is not as unsafe as version 9.60 (which was released just two weeks ahead of 9.61), it still isn't as safe as most of us would want it to be.
Within literally hours after Opera released v. 9.61, the Internet was buzzing with rumors about a new possible exploit. It seems that even the updated version of the Opera browser is vulnerable to cross-site scripting attacks as well as remote code execution attacks. And while security oriented users where updating, the experts were already setting up proof-of-concept code to show that there are still some security leaks.
While people were busy discussing the issue on various online forums, Israeli security expert Aviv Raf was already working on a proof-of-concept code. The exploit that he launched is harmless enough – all it does is launch Windows Calculator – but it is proof enough that the browser is still vulnerable. If the name Aviv Raff rings a bell, it is because he is the one to prove that Google Chrome has carpet bombing security issues.
The bottom line is that even if you have updated to version 9.61, your Opera browser continues to be vulnerable. What are you, the user, to do? There are several precautionary measures that you can employ. If you are still using v. 9.60, it is worth upgrading - even though 9.61 is not completely bug free, some issues have been resolved, and for that reason alone it is worth upgrading. When you are browsing the web, try not to click on just any link, especially if the link is provided by an untrusted site. The safest option would be to switch to another browser, at least until Opera plugs these security holes.
Within literally hours after Opera released v. 9.61, the Internet was buzzing with rumors about a new possible exploit. It seems that even the updated version of the Opera browser is vulnerable to cross-site scripting attacks as well as remote code execution attacks. And while security oriented users where updating, the experts were already setting up proof-of-concept code to show that there are still some security leaks.
While people were busy discussing the issue on various online forums, Israeli security expert Aviv Raf was already working on a proof-of-concept code. The exploit that he launched is harmless enough – all it does is launch Windows Calculator – but it is proof enough that the browser is still vulnerable. If the name Aviv Raff rings a bell, it is because he is the one to prove that Google Chrome has carpet bombing security issues.
The bottom line is that even if you have updated to version 9.61, your Opera browser continues to be vulnerable. What are you, the user, to do? There are several precautionary measures that you can employ. If you are still using v. 9.60, it is worth upgrading - even though 9.61 is not completely bug free, some issues have been resolved, and for that reason alone it is worth upgrading. When you are browsing the web, try not to click on just any link, especially if the link is provided by an untrusted site. The safest option would be to switch to another browser, at least until Opera plugs these security holes.
