Opera's mindful browser Opera Air gains an interactive cat companion
Today, October 14, is most notable for being the day when Windows 10 reaches its end of life, but it’s also Global Cat Day. One of those may leave you feeling sad, while the other feline great (sorry).
To mark the cat day, Opera has introduced a playful feline companion within the interface of Opera Air, the company’s mindfulness-focused browser, and also launched a project to help street cats in Istanbul, often (and for good reason -- they're everywhere) called the cat capital of the world.
Google is cutting off noisy websites in Chrome -- here's how it works
When you visit a new website in a browser like Google Chrome, you may see a small prompt near the address bar asking whether you want to allow notifications. It’s easy enough to click “allow” in the moment, but not always easy to find where to turn those notifications off again later.
For many users, the result is an endless stream of alerts, banners, and prompts that make browsing far noisier than it needs be. Chrome’s latest experiment aims to cut this overload with a feature that automatically removes notification permissions for sites that users no longer engage with.
Opera to roll out enhanced native AI features across its flagship and GX browsers for free
Opera has announced plans to add expanded AI capabilities to its free browsers. The news comes just days after we wrote about Opera Neon, the company’s premium AI browser for power users.
Opera has been developing browsers for more than three decades and says it now serves hundreds of millions of active users every month. In recent years it has added a number of AI features to its products, starting in 2023 when it added its assistant Aria to Opera One, Opera GX, Opera Air (its "mindfulness" browser), Opera for Android and iOS, and Opera Mini.
Opera begins rolling out Opera Neon, its AI-powered browser
Opera has begun rolling out Opera Neon, a subscription-based browser designed around agentic AI. The first wave of invitations is being sent to users in the Neon Founders program, with broader access set to follow.
Unlike the normal Opera browser, Opera Neon is intended for people who use AI as part of their everyday work. It combines standard browsing tools with a system of workspaces, cards, and agentic actions.
Vivaldi 7.6 arrives with a customizable tab bar and new tab management button
Vivaldi has released version 7.6 of its Chromium-based browser, introducing a customizable tab bar, a new button for managing tabs, and a number of other smaller, but welcome improvements across the interface.
The customizable tab bar allows users to decide which tools appear and where they are placed. This change makes it possible to create either a minimal interface or one with more visible controls, depending on your preference.
New enterprise browser aimed at securing BYOD and third-party devices
Check Point is launching a new Enterprise Browser, extending zero trust security to unmanaged devices like BYOD, contractors, and third-party partners.
The new feature, available to Check Point Harmony SASE customers from today, delivers full visibility, granular policy enforcement, and compliance-ready data protection without persistent agents or endpoint ownership.
Browser security tools struggle to detect malicious extensions
Despite the expanding use of browser extensions, the majority of enterprises and individuals still rely on labels such as ‘Verified’ and ‘Chrome Featured’ provided by extension stores as a security indicator.
However, new research from SquareX points up architectural flaws in how browser security tools work which mean they’re unable to detect or prevent the latest advancements in malicious browser extension attacks.
Vivaldi 7.5 browser update brings colored tab stacks and DNS over HTTPS
Just one day after Opera received an update with new translation tools and general improvements, its spiritual successor Vivaldi has released version 7.5. The Chromium-based browser, created by a team led by Opera co-founder Jon S. von Tetzchner, is rolling out a new build focused on usability, privacy, and customization.
The headline additions to Vivaldi 7.5 are colored Tab Stacks, a cleaned-up tab context menu, and new privacy controls including DNS over HTTPS. The update also includes a number of smaller fixes and UI tweaks that improve day-to-day use.
Opera browser update adds built-in translation, custom cursors, and multitasking tools
Norwegian browser company Opera has launched a major update for its desktop browsers Opera One and Opera GX, adding a privacy-focused translation feature, improved multitasking tools, and a new level of personalization for GX users.
The update rolls out as Opera continues to try to compete with bigger players like Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Firefox by leaning into user-driven customization and features.
Employee browser activity creates a security blindspot
Thanks to a growth in remote working and the use of SaaS applications enterprise reliance on browsers is growing, but this leaves them open to risks stemming from dangerous employee web behavior.
According to a cybersecurity expert at network security platform NordLayer, some employee activity that may go undetected by security teams can result in confidential data and industry secrets leaks or violations of GDPR.
Browser extensions leave enterprises open to attack
Despite being present on virtually every employee's browser, extensions and plug-ins are rarely monitored by security teams or controlled by IT and a new report shows that could be leaving enterprises at risk.
The study from LayerX Security combines statistics from real-life usage data from enterprise users, with data available from public extension stores to reveal how organizations and employees interact with extensions, the associated risks and security blind spots.
Browser-based phishing attacks up 140 percent
New research from Menlo Security, based on analysis of more than 750,000 browser-based phishing attacks, shows a startling 140 percent increase compared to 2023, and a 130 percent increase specifically in zero-hour phishing attacks.
Microsoft, Facebook, and Netflix are the brands most commonly impersonated in browser-based phishing attempts. However, generative AI services are also increasingly impersonated with nearly 600 incidents of GenAI fraud identified, in which imposter sites used GenAI platform names to manipulate and exploit unsuspecting victims.
Forget Google Chrome and Firefox, LibreWolf is the privacy focused browser you've been looking for
Are you frustrated by Mozilla’s recent leanings towards putting revenue ahead of privacy? Fans of Firefox who are looking to take their privacy to the next level (and beyond any potential compromises Mozilla might make going forward) should take a look at LibreWolf, available for Windows, macOS and Linux.
LibreWolf is a direct fork from the latest version of Firefox with a raft of additional privacy measures added to make your browsing experience even more private.
This isn't just a web browser -- it's your new secret weapon for well-being, focus and relaxation
Just how many web browsers does the world need? Norwegian browser specialist Opera thinks the more the merrier. It’s just launched Opera Air Stable 116.0 for macOS and Windows, designed to improve user focus and well-being.
The new release sits alongside the browser’s other offerings, its main Opera browser, and the infinitely customizable Opera GX, aimed at the gamer community.
Threat actors move from email to browsers
New research from the eSentire Threat Response Unit (TRU) shows a shift towards browser-based threats last year as more traditional email malware declines.
Moving onto 2025 the report predicts an increase in politically motivated cyberattacks, with adversaries disrupting the physical infrastructure of the Internet to disrupt internet access. It also expects we’ll see continued growth in ransomware attacks against all industries, abuse of certificate authority, and further increase in browser-based threats to deploy malware.
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