# Security

You can manage your security certificates and configure security protocols. Opera can also warn you about potentially insecure situations.

Tip: Read Opera's tutorial for an excellent introduction to protecting your personal information and security on the Internet.

## Security password

A security password prevents other people from using your certificates, as long as you select a good password and keep it secret. Click to enable a security password.

If other people have access to your computer, it may be a good idea to tell Opera to ask for a password every time needed, that is every time you use certificates.

You can also use the security password to protect your e-mail, news, and Wand passwords with strong encryption.

Technical note: If you set the security password to protect Wand data and e-mail passwords, Opera will use 168-bit triple DES (data encryption standard) encryption. Keys are derived from the security password.

## Security protocols

Security protocols are used to communicate securely with sites where sensitive data, such as credit card information, is involved.

### Enabling and disabling protocols

To enable a security protocol, check the respective checkbox. Supported protocols include:

1. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) 2.0
2. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) 3.0
3. Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.0 - most secure

Disable (uncheck) SSL 2 and SSL 3 if you wish to only use the most secure protocol (TLS) to establish secure connections. If you experience problems on secure sites, try turning SSL back on.

### Configure protocols

You can click for example and tell Opera not to accept certain ciphers. To prevent connections to less secure Web services, disable ciphers below 128 bits.

Tip: When you visit secure sites, the padlock icon on the Address bar locks. Move your mouse pointer over the security icon for detailed information about the current level of security.

## Certificates

Generally, certificates are used to verify identities.

### Authorities

Certificate authorities are used to identify secure Web sites. Most certificate authorities you need are installed with Opera.

Example: The secure version of the University of Oslo Web site is authorized by the Thawte organization.

Option | Explanation
--- | ---
| Import certificates you have exported from other browsers or downloaded
| Export certificates you wish to use in other browsers
| Delete certificates you no longer trust or wish to use
Allow connections to sites certified by this authority | Disable (uncheck) to block connections to all sites certified by authority
Warn before sending data to sites certified by this authority | Enable (check) if you want Opera to warn you before using authority

Note: If you delete a certificate authority, you must reinstall Opera or download the certificate from the original provider to restore it.

Read about accepting certificates for more information.

### Personal

Personal certificates are used to identify you as the genuine user of a Web service. These certificates are normally installed the first time you sign up for the service.

The options to import, export, and delete are basically the same as for certificate authorities (see above).

Note: If you delete a personal certificate, you must create a new one to use the corresponding Web service.

## Security warnings

By default, Opera will warn you before you submit

- a form insecurely
- a Web page for validation

Submitting forms to, for example, search engines and open discussion forums is harmless.

Tip: Enable the security warnings if you are concerned about unintentionally sending sensitive data over the Internet.

Learn more about security

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