Subject: | |
From: | |
Reply To: | |
Date: | Thu, 30 Mar 2006 08:40:29 -0500 |
Content-Type: | text/plain |
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
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.
VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask] In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://listserv.icors.org/archives/vicug-l.html
|
|
|