I received this Kim KOmando tip of the day in my box today, Thursday March 
30, 2006:
www.komando.com

Can hackers get your computer through cookies?
Q. Can someone trace a cookie back to my computer, then browse through my 
personal files? My friend's computer was hacked by someone who said he 
followed a cookie back to his computer.
A. The hacker you refer to is either smart enough to keep his methods secret 
or a run-of-the-mill prankster. Cookies do not allow hackers to access your 
computer. They are ordinary text files stored on your hard drive.
Like your other files, they are protected by your computer's security. 
Software bugs and weak security are the real culprits.
Cookies are probably the most misunderstood feature of computerdom. They are 
inert text files that can't do much of anything. True, they can be used by 
advertisers to collect information on you. But, by and large, they do much 
more good than evil.
Cookies allow Web sites to be interactive. As text files, cookies provide 
the means for Web pages within the same site to pass notes to each other. 
Otherwise, any selections you make on one page are forgotten as soon as you 
click to another page.
Cookies are useful for shopping sites. A cookie can store a list of items 
you've selected to buy as you browse different product pages. Then the 
checkout page can read that list from the cookie. Another use for cookies is 
Web site customization. Cookies can be used to store your preferences for 
whenever you revisit a particular site.
Cookies usually do not carry information identifying a particular computer. 
You could transfer your cookies to another computer and use them just as 
well. They identify your computer to Web sites only as much as your car keys 
identify you to your car.
Most browsers allow cookies to be read by only the Web site to which they 
belong. This makes it difficult for any one site to track your Web surfing.
However, sometimes a Web site's advertiser will issue its own cookies. The 
cookies can be used to recognize your computer at any other site associated 
with that advertiser. Known as third party cookies, they can be an invasion 
of privacy.
Internet Explorer has privacy settings to address third party cookies. You 
can read about them on my Web site. In Firefox's privacy settings, you can 
choose to allow cookies "for the originating site only."
Your friend probably was hacked because his security was weak. Even minimal 
computer security includes a firewall, an anti-virus program and 
anti-spyware software. Your friend can find suggestions on my Web site. 
Another way to stay protected is by avoiding malicious sites. I recently 
wrote about a program called SiteAdvisor that can help sort the good from 
the bad.
Your friend should run security scans before doing any more Web surfing. He 
should also make sure that he has the latest updates for Windows. And if 
he's on a wireless home network, he should learn to encrypt the wireless 
signal. 


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