Opera Has Been Hacked

According to Opera, hackers were able to infiltrate Opera Sync, the service that helps sync browser activities across platforms. That breach may have compromised data that spans usernames and passwords.

The firm said that only a small percentage of the cumulative 350 million users across the firm’s offerings use Sync, to the tune of 1.7 million users. That may be an understated number, as more would-be users may have been in the process of registration, thus providing data.

The Opera hack forced a reset of passwords tied to Sync, the company told users. The news of the hack comes after Opera said it would sell its browser business, along with privacy apps and a joint venture in China, to antivirus outfit Qihoo 360 for $600 million. Prior to that deal, Opera had been in a pact to sell all of its operations to the same party for $1.2 billion, yet was not able to secure all approvals in time for closing.