Opera Forces Password Reset after Breach

Internet users who surf with the Opera web browser have received a warning that failing to change their password could result in a breach after its servers were found to be hacked.

Cyber criminals are believed to have accessed Opera’s Sync system. The system stores passwords from millions of internet sites.

Opera attempted to reassure users when it blogged that the breach was blocked quickly.

It went on to say in the blog post that investigations were continuing, but that some of their sync users’ account information and passwords could have been breached.

Senior director of marketing and products at identity management software company Centrify, Corey Williams, told SCMagazineUK.com:

“Attackers will work hard to crack any server’s encryption and try these passwords across countless thousands of other sites, services, and apps. Until we have something better than passwords protecting our accounts – something like Multi-factor Authentication – we will continue to see these breaches result in success for attackers, and losses for all of us.”

Senior research manager at cyber security firm Rapid7, Tod Beardsley, said that Opera forcing users to reset their passwords is the right move to see their devices regain a normal security state.

Opera handled the situation well, but not every company would have been in a position to react so efficiently. For many SMEs in the UK, a single breach may result in permanent damage to their business and reputation. Opening up IT security jobs to those who know what they are doing would be a vital security step for any business today.