Cookies in my PC?
As you learn more about cybersecurity and the internet, you may have come across the term website or HTTP cookies. Cookies are not at all like the delicious confectionary treat that Cookie Monster pursues diligently, but rather an important tool in supporting the modern web. This article contains a brief explanation of web cookies and will, hopefully, answer your questions about the security and privacy risks associated with them.
What is a cookie? (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_cookie)
Usually, references to “cookie” are referring to HTTP cookies. An HTTP cookie is file saved on your computer that contains data from a web site you’ve visited. One could think of a cookie like a membership registration card, which allows for a web site to remember information you’ve provided to facilitate follow-up business.
What kind of information is stored in cookies?
Cookies allow for user preferences to be remembered across multiple visits to the site. One quick example of this is when a user logs into Facebook, closes the website, and then navigates to Facebook an hour later to find they don’t have to log in again. A cookie stored on your computer lets Facebook know that you’ve already logged in. Aside from remembering a user’s login information, cookies can be used to remember shopping preferences on a site like Amazon or if you asked for the site to be displayed in dark mode. Here’s an example of what’s inside a typical cookie:
Why do websites use cookies?
It may seem strange, but the web protocol (HTTP or hypertext transfer protocol) doesn’t have any technical way to remember you between visits or even individual page requests. Websites use cookies to keep track of user information so that they’re not constantly asking, “Who are you?” Cookies could also be used to help allow for sites to recognize users from different countries to ensure the web site displays pages in their native language or conform to country-specific regulations.
Are cookies a problem? (https://www.kaspersky.com/resource-center/definitions/cookies)
Generally speaking, cookies do not pose a security risk. However, cookies can pose some privacy problems. For example, cookies are often used by third parties to promote their products. You may have noticed this when a web site owner passes search or browsing information to online advertisers that then promote products based on your past web searches or surfing history. So, if you were to search YouTube for videos about the best mountain bikes, YouTube (or an affiliate business) might pass that information (contained in cookies) to shopping web site sites or online advertisers to display ad banners for mountain bikes. Unfortunately, some of these cookies are extremely persistent and can hang around even after you think you’ve cleared your browsing data.
Should you do anything about it?
Since cookies provide important functionality for many web sites, you probably can’t avoid them altogether. However, there are many software add-ons that can help tame the wild cookies of the internet. Listed below are some helpful tips that you could use to minimize the invasion of your privacy from cookies:
o Chrome web browser: Preferences > Show Advanced Options (at the bottom) > Privacy > Content settings > Check “block third party cookies and site data.”
o Internet Explorer: Tools > Internet Options > Privacy > Move the slider to the level of cookies you want blocked
o Firefox: Preferences > Privacy > History > Select “Use custom settings for history,” then set “Accept third-party cookies” to Never.
o Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Select to block cookies “from third parties and advertisers.”
As previously mentioned, some web sites won’t work without the use of cookies, so you may have to grant exceptions to browser settings that restrict cookies (or allow them temporarily).