Opera Fixes Security Flaws and Adds Search Provider

An update to Opera 9.5 has been issued less than a month after the browser's public release. Opera 9.51 addresses a handful of security issues, including a vulnerability that could lead to the execution of arbitrary code. Details of the vulnerability itself have yet to be unveiled, but Opera confirms that the issue is indeed fixed. Another notable security flaw that has been corrected involves exploiting the way certain canvas functions are handled in order to obtain random samples of a user's memory.

In addition to the aforementioned security patches, Opera 9.51 features several updates to the user interface as well as some stability fixes involving interaction with Yahoo! Mail and User JavaScript. This latest version also features a new player in the browser's built-in search provider list. Ask.com has been added to a group that already includes Google, Yahoo, and eBay, among others. "The cooperation with Ask.com is a great complement to the search options people have on Opera desktop browser today," said Opera CEO Jon von Tetzchner in a company press release. "Opera believes in offering people a rainbow of choices. Ask.com provides an innovative search experience, preferred by millions of people across the world."

Opera 9.51 is available for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. Current users of the browser are encouraged to upgrade immediately.