When visiting a website by default, a user’s device receives a cookie, the password is saved, and information flows freely. The Internet is today a widespread information structure, the prototype of what is called the Global Information Infrastructure. Information that is meant to be free and shared around the world.
Cookie packages and passwords
There are 7,634,758,428 people that populate this planet. More than half of them actively use the Internet. Visiting websites while browsing leaves some information online.
While clicking on the website, the user is unaware of the chat taking place between a website and the user’s device. The computer is presented to a website. Meanwhile, the website’s server is creating a special cookie for the guest to take home. It’s a virtual handshake and introduction between the two of you, allowing the server to recognize that exact device the next time you visit.
Although the cookie looks like an empty shell, it contains simple information. A specific data unique only for that website and the user who visits it.
The information cookie contains:
The name of the cookie.
The value of the cookie
The expiration date of the cookie. Which marks the date the cookie leaves the device.
The way of the cookie Only the web server that sent the cookie can access it.
· Computer screen resolution.
The computer processor.
Operating system installed on the computer.
Graphics card on the computer.
The web browser from which the computer communicated.
The location of the device.
It is widely believed that cookies store passwords. That may be true in some cases, but not all. Common knowledge is that it depends on the website. Most of them no longer save passwords. This is due to the protocol of secure websites. Which means that when the website uses https in its URL or website address, it means that it is protected. Any conversation that the website makes with the computer is protected and encrypted.
The packets that the website and the computer pass back and forth are strongly protected and encrypted. The information may contain cookies, passwords and files. These interactions cannot be deciphered by an intruder. Which means that someone listening to the conversation at the next table cannot understand a word they are saying.
On the other hand, “cookie sniffing” is a well-known criminal act. The cybercriminal will inspect the cookie if they find it valuable and obtain the information it contains.
Facebook and the cookie
Although many eagerly enter the world of global social media, they soon discover that the line written in the Privacy Policy that none of us read is true: “Any information left by the user on the platform is public.” Which means it’s free to use.
Almost 2 billion users in the world have a Facebook profile and 74% are North American users. Each user is monitored daily to obtain the information. On average, more than 3 websites will actively monitor a single user on Facebook, without their knowledge. This information is sent to servers and user browsing slows down due to data transfers.
According to Facebook: “Technologies such as cookies, pixel tags (“pixels”), and local storage are used to deliver security, products, services, and advertisements, on and off Facebook. Your browser or device may allow you to block these technologies, but you may You won’t be able to use some features on Facebook if you block them.”
Therefore, most of the tracking is done through a cookie. Recent news announces that from now on, Facebook will track even non-users on the internet. So what exactly are cookies that are collected from users as well as from companies?
Customer data
Contact information (such as full name and email address)
Demographic information (user and device locations, including specific geographic locations)
Username and password
Job title
department information
Other information related to your job
· All content you create (share or publish in audio, video, text, images and other multimedia or software files)
Information that other people provide about you when they use Facebook (including when they send you a message or upload information about you)
user communications
Contacts
Device information (computers, phones or other devices where you install or access the platform)
Connection information (including mobile operator and ISP)
billing information
Information received (here including websites that are external partners of Facebook)
Businesses owned by Facebook also share this information with each other. These companies are Facebook Payments, Atlas, WhatsApp, Instagram, Moves, Oculus, Masquerade.
The truth is that these cookies cannot be viewed without the use of privacy software. Privacy software is much like any other active monitoring application that scans hard drives and Internet browsers. Software like Identity Theft Preventer will search for and expose such data.
Web browser and website cookie
When it comes to cookies and passwords, the Internet browser is often the culprit. Which in turn is not entirely true since it is the websites that decide what is saved. The Browser simply provides the tools to perform an action. This also depends on the security of the website.
Internet Browser is software like any other, it stores certain information so that it can function correctly. Most of this information is stored in the browser’s installation folder. Among the files are website cookies and even saved passwords.
The website determines how long the user can remain connected. Most of them have a short time span like banks. Banks, in general, also avoid saving passwords. Banks usually disable built-in password managers by adding the autocomplete=off parameter to the password input field. They consider storing their service credentials a security risk, which may be true in some cases.
Many websites, however, leave you logged in for a long time. Which means, for example, that you are logged into another computer that does not belong to you. You save a password by accident or otherwise, and forget to log out. The owner of the computer or anyone who has access to it can see your password or account.
Cookies store information, the information it contains is encrypted and is not available to anyone except the website that uses it. However, unsecure websites have cookies that can be cracked and abused. Free information posted online and saved by the user is much easier to obtain, and criminals know it. Logging out of websites, leaving as little information as possible, and clearing cookies is a safer way to actively participate in the digital world.