What is an Internet Cookie and What Does it Do?

Internet cookies are a term often left in doubt to the common Internet user, some people know what they are, but not how to find them. Other people don't know what they are, and have only read about them on the Internet in forums or chat networks. This article will cover the aspects of what a cookie is, what it does, and even how to find and remove it.

What is an Internet cookie?

No, it's not something you eat! An Internet cookie is a small bit of information left on your computer after browsing the Internet. Often times this tiny file contains small bits of Information about what webpages you visited, how long you stayed on them, and what makes you tick in the World Wide Web. Occasionally you can get what is called a tracking cookie, which goes one step further and monitors every webpage visit, and may even log your passwords. This kind of tracking cookie is less typical without a Trojan infection.

Are Internet cookies dangerous?

Internet cookies can be dangerous if the conditions are right. Some Internet cookies are un-encrypted and allow anyone with a text editor to view them. Un-encrypted cookies may contain personal account data that anyone sifting through your computer at a recycling center can use to become you on the World Wide Web. Other cookies may contain information such as keystrokes for later generations of said data. However, again this is unlikely unless you also have a Trojan virus

How can I get rid of Internet cookies?

Internet cookies can be removed relatively easily. For IE browsers you should find a folder entitled "cookies" inside the temporary internet cache folder located at 'C:\windows\temp' or 'C:\windows\temporary internet files'.

Newer versions of IE have a separate section in the users profile for cookies usually found here ' C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files '

Mozilla Firefox is extremely easy to use to clean out unwanted cookies. Load up Firefox and click on tools>options>privacy tab> in this window you should see an option to remove all history, or just remove unwanted cookies. Deleting your entire history will eliminate all cookies with it.

Google chrome is a rather featureless browser and though this is one of the reasons I hate it, it's also the reason I love it. By stripping chrome down to bare essentials you get more webpage eye candy and less toolbar spam, not to mention a leaner running browser, back to the question at hand though. How do we remove cookies in Chrome?

Step 1, open the Google Chrome browser.

Step 2, click on the wrench icon in the top right hand corner of the Chrome window.

Step 3, click on 'under the hood'.

Step 4, click on 'clear browsing data'. You will also notice that right next to this is a button titled 'content settings' clicking it will allow you to enable or disable any further cookies being placed on your computer.

Finally if all else fails and you can't seem to find what you're looking for, I recommend 'StopZilla'. It's a bit annoying, but it simplifies a lot of the process of keeping your computer clean of personal data.

Closing,

Never forget the milk when you star chomping those digital cookies we wouldn't want you to choke on a crumb would we? On a more serious note though, it is very important to keep these cookies under control. Cookies can expose you to a wide variety of attacks and exploits costing you valuable time or money in the future. Always ensure that a cookie storing your login information is stored in an encrypted file.

Resources,

StopZilla

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