Is this cookie and password business really that hard?

When visiting a website by default, a user’s device receives a cookie, the password is saved and the information flows freely. The Internet today is a generalized 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 and password packages
There are 7,634,758,428 people who 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 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. Specific data unique only to 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 cookie path. 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 in the computer.

The web browser from which the computer communicated.

The location of the device.

The general belief is that cookies store passwords. That may be true in some cases, but not in all. Common knowledge is that it depends on the website. Most of them no longer keep 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 firmly protected and encrypted. The information may contain cookies, passwords and files. These interactions cannot be deciphered by an intruder. Which means someone listening in on the conversation at the next table can’t understand a word they’re 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 cookies
Although many enthusiastically 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 that the user has left on the platform is public.” Which means it is free to use.

Almost 2 billion users in the world have a Facebook profile and 74% are users from North America. Each user is monitored daily to obtain the information. On average, more than 3 websites will actively monitor a single user on Facebook, without her knowledge. This information is sent to servers and users’ browsing slows down due to data transfers.

According to Facebook: “Technologies such as cookies, pixel tags (“pixels”) and local storage are used to provide security, products, services and advertisements, on and off Facebook. Your browser or device may allow you to block these technologies, but it is possible that you can’t 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 the cookies that are collected on users as well as companies?

customer data

Contact information (such as full name and email address)

Demographic information (locations of users and devices, including specific geographic locations)

Username and password

Job title

department information

Other information related to your work

All content you create (share or post 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)

Companies 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 seek out and expose such data.

The web browser and the 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 Navigator 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 work properly. Most of this information is stored in the browser installation folder. Among the files are website cookies and even saved passwords.

The website determines how long the user can remain logged in. Most of them have a short time frame like banks. Banks, in general, also avoid saving passwords. Banks typically disable built-in password managers by adding the parameter autocomplete=off to the password input field. They see storing credentials for their services as 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, unsecured websites have cookies that can be cracked and abused. Free information published online and saved by the user is much easier to obtain, and criminals know it. Logging off websites, leaving as little information as possible, and clearing cookies is a safer way to actively participate in the digital world.