Opera Launches Free Paste Protect to Block ClickFix Attacks as Fake CAPTCHA Scams Jump 563%
Updated
Updated · ZDNet · Jul 2
Opera Launches Free Paste Protect to Block ClickFix Attacks as Fake CAPTCHA Scams Jump 563%
3 articles · Updated · ZDNet · Jul 2
Summary
Opera has rolled out Paste Protect, a free browser feature enabled by default that detects and blocks malicious clipboard content before users paste it into Terminal or Command Prompt.
The tool targets ClickFix attacks, in which fake error messages or CAPTCHA prompts trick users into copying and running harmful commands that bypass antivirus and email filters because the user executes them.
Opera said more than half of malware-loading cyberattacks in 2025 were ClickFix-based, and fake CAPTCHA attacks surged 563% last year.
The feature adds a new injection-protection layer to Opera's earlier clipboard safeguards, monitors clipboard activity in real time across Windows, macOS and Linux, and warns users with blocked content truncated to 120 characters.
Opera says it is the first browser to build this protection in natively, though users can still whitelist trusted sites and are advised to avoid pasting commands from untrusted sources.