Wired: You Deleted Your Cookies? Think Again
You Deleted Your Cookies? Think AgainMore than half of the internet’s top websites use a little known capability of Adobe’s Flash plugin to track users and store information about them, but only four of them mention the so-called Flash Cookies in their privacy policies, UC Berkeley researchers reported Monday.
Unlike traditional browser cookies, Flash cookies are relatively unknown to web users, and they are not controlled through the cookie privacy controls in a browser. That means even if a user thinks they have cleared their computer of tracking objects, they most likely have not.
What’s even sneakier?
Several services even use the surreptitious data storage to reinstate traditional cookies that a user deleted, which is called ‘re-spawning’ in homage to video games where zombies come back to life even after being “killed,” the report found. So even if a user gets rid of a website’s tracking cookie, that cookie’s unique ID will be assigned back to a new cookie again using the Flash data as the “backup.” ...
Unlike traditional browser cookies, Flash cookies are relatively unknown to web users, and they are not controlled through the cookie privacy controls in a browser. That means even if a user thinks they have cleared their computer of tracking objects, they most likely have not.
What’s even sneakier?
Several services even use the surreptitious data storage to reinstate traditional cookies that a user deleted, which is called ‘re-spawning’ in homage to video games where zombies come back to life even after being “killed,” the report found. So even if a user gets rid of a website’s tracking cookie, that cookie’s unique ID will be assigned back to a new cookie again using the Flash data as the “backup.” ...
Sorta gives new meaning to the idea of "the Cookie Monster."
The problem of course is that most commercial software designed to protect the user; antivirus, malware, worms, trojans, do not address this problem. There is software that is designed to to rid your computer of these hidden cookies - Qusum - http://www.qusum.com and it is available as a trial. You will not see it advertised because the marketers will not promote it because it renders them useless and they don't earn a commision on your sale. Hence to get good protection you have to search out the solution.
Posted by: qusum | Aug 13, 2009 at 09:51 PM