Advisory: Spam attacks from faked Opera e-mail signatures

Oslo, Norway – July 31, 2008

Opera Software has recently detected several spam attacks using faked e-mail signatures that appear to come from our company and our products. These e-mails attempt to use our name to gain the trust of recipients and then entice them to click links that install viruses on their computer.

The easiest way to identify such messages is unsolicited mail from unknown senders containing subject lines about current news subjects, major accidents or celebrities. They also contain a signature line referencing Opera's e-mail client. Please do not click any links and delete the message from your computer immediately.

Update: Given feedback from our user community and general development of the spam attack issue, Opera no longer recommends all users to change or remove the default signature in the e-mail client.

Visit Tools: Mail and Chat Accounts
Select your e-mail account
Click "edit"
Change the signature under the Outgoing tab

Opera users are protected from visiting virus distribution pages through our partnership with Haute Secure. Haute Secure also offers malware protection plug-ins for both Internet Explorer and Firefox that can be downloaded from http://www.hautesecure.com/.

Though we do maintain a product notification e-mail list at Opera, recipients must opt-in and our policy forbids any reselling of this or any identifiable information to third parties of any kind. Our privacy policy is online at http://www.opera.com/privacy/.

These attacks trespass on our brand and undermine the trust we have worked hard to build with both Opera users and non-Opera users around the Web. We take this seriously, and hope this notice will help raise greater awareness of and vigilance against these attacks.

About Opera Software ASA

The worldwide World Wide Web — any device, any platform, any bandwidth, absolutely anywhere in the world. Opera Software was founded in 1994, based on the idea that access to the Web should be a universal right. 220 million people (and counting) use the Opera web browsers for computers, mobile phones, TVs and other connected devices. Opera also delivers tools, distribution, engagement, monetization and market insights to developers, publishers and brands around the world. We are passionate about breaking down barriers, so everyone can share in the power of the Internet. Our vision of one Web for all remains at the heart of what we do, because we believe that participation changes everything. Opera Software ASA is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol OPERA. Learn more about Opera at www.opera.com.