Opera
Opera opens websites and web apps, with built-in ad blocking, a browser VPN and an AI assistant. It’s made by Opera, based in Norway.
Criminals have used its name in fake downloads or scams, so get it only from opera.com.
What it is
People use Opera to browse websites, watch videos and use online services. It offers tab groups, ad and tracker blocking, a browser VPN and an AI assistant. An account is optional for ordinary browsing.
Opera handles the pages you visit and information you enter. It can save passwords and form details, and uses the Mac’s Keychain for stored browser passwords. Websites can request camera and microphone access. Screen recording access supports screen capture in web tools.
Opera updates automatically and warns about known malicious websites. Its privacy policy describes collection of device details and feature usage data. Extended usage reporting can be switched off. If you use AI chat, your messages and relevant page content can be processed by Opera and its AI providers.
Who makes it
Opera is an Oslo-based browser company founded in 1995 whose parent group is majority-owned by China’s Kunlun. Its legal name is Opera Norway AS. Its website is opera.com.
Is it the real one?
Every Mac app carries a signature from the developer who made it. Apple checks who the developer is before handing out the certificate, and macOS refuses to open an app whose signature has been tampered with.
HARD hasn’t yet recorded the signature on a real copy of Opera. Its Mac app shows who signed the copy you have.
Its bundle ID, the name macOS knows it by, is com.operasoftware.Opera or com.operasoftware.OperaNext or com.operasoftware.OperaDeveloper. Download it only from opera.com, not from an ad or a link someone sends you.
Fakes. Gen’s May 2025 threat report described fake Opera update prompts that tricked people into installing malware.
What it connects to
In normal use, Opera talks to these places on the internet. A firewall that asks before apps connect, like the one in HARD’s Mac app, will show them.
| Address | Why |
|---|---|
autoupdate.opera.com | Browser updates. |
auth.opera.com | Optional Opera account sign-in. |
sync.opera.com | Optional browser data synchronisation. |
addons.opera.com | Extensions and wallpapers. |
What it can see
macOS asks you before an app can use these. You can change them any time in System Settings → Privacy & Security.
| Permission | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| Camera | Lets websites use your camera when you allow access. |
| Microphone | Lets websites record sound or support voice calls when you allow access. |
| Screen Recording | Lets web tools capture your screen when you choose to use that function. |
Security record
Problems with Opera or Opera in the last three years, newest first. Keeping the app up to date covers the ones that were fixed.
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Opera released version 135.0.5973.92 to fix several vulnerabilities, including the Chromium zero-day CVE-2026-85046. | ↗ | |
| Opera disclosed a flaw in its separate Opera GX browser that let malicious websites install mods and steal page data; version 130.0.5847.89 fixed it. | ↗ | |
| Hidden webpage instructions could make the separate Opera Neon browser leak account information; Opera deployed a fix on 20 October and researchers confirmed it worked. | ↗ | |
| Opera disclosed CrossBarking, which let malicious third-party extensions misuse privileged browser functions; it was fixed on 24 September, with no affected users known to Opera. | ↗ | |
| Researchers disclosed MyFlaw, which let a specially crafted extension run malicious files on Macs and Windows computers; Opera had fixed it on 22 November 2023. | ↗ |
References
- Apple’s browser identifiers registry github.com
- Opera browser opera.com
- Opera 2025 annual report sec.gov
- Opera Privacy Statement opera.com
- Opera Help: FAQ help.opera.com
- Opera Help: Security and privacy help.opera.com
- Opera Help: Web preferences help.opera.com
- Opera Help: Account questions help.opera.com
- Opera changelog for version 116 blogs.opera.com
- Opera Desktop release notes blogs.opera.com
- Marvel: Enable Screen Recording access on macOS help.marvelapp.com
- Gen Q1/2025 threat report gendigital.com
- Opera security fix for CVE-2026-85046 blogs.opera.com
- Opera GX mods vulnerability blogs.opera.com
- Opera Neon prompt injection fix blogs.opera.com
- Opera: Addressing CrossBarking blogs.opera.com
- Guardio Labs: MyFlaw site.guard.io