Opera issues security patch

Opera Software issued a security patch on Tuesday to protect users against flaws in Macromedia's Flash Player and in some versions of its open-source browser running on Linux or Unix.

The update, Opera 8.51, addresses flaws that could allow a malicious attacker to remotely take control of a user's system, according to an advisory issued by Opera.

One such vulnerability was found in versions of Opera 7 and Opera 8 running on Linux, FreeBSD or Solaris software. The flaw could allow an attacker to remotely execute arbitrary shell commands on a user's computer by tricking him or her into clicking on a link to malicious Web site, according to a security advisory from Secunia. A command shell lets users enter text-based commands.

The security patch also is designed to address a flaw in Flash Player in versions of Opera 5 through 8, according to Secunia.

Last June, Opera issued a patch, the 8.01 update, to address several security flaws including some that could be exploited by phishers.