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The HTTP cookie is what we currently use to manage our online experiences. It is also what some malicious people can use to spy on your online activity and steal your personal info.
What information can cookies collect?
Cookies can store a wide range of information, including personally identifiable information (such as your name, home address, email address, or telephone number).
If someone is able to successfully scrape your cookies, they could log in to your accounts with your saved passwords. It can be done, but Ellington said it’s not easy. Most browsers store cookies in an encrypted, secure way, so someone would have to have access to your computer, logged in and unlocked.
What happens when someone steals your cookies?
Cookies are used widely across the internet and it’s scary just how often they get stolen. If you’re a victim of cookie stealing or session hijacking, the repercussions of it are severe. Not only do you lose revenue and the trust of your visitors but you could also face legal issues and hefty fines!
A hacker can enter their own malicious codes which will be sent to the database. Once inside, the code will get executed. There are numerous codes hackers can insert into the website to run all sorts of malicious activities like creating a new website admin or stealing cookies.
How are cookies tracked and how to stop them?
Whether the cookie can be sent over an insecure connection or not. Essentially, it checks for HTTPS. Whether the cookie can be accessed through JavaScript. Disabling this prevents cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks that can be used to steal login credentials and modify cookies for nefarious purposes.
Cookies make things convenient for both the website owner and the user. It can boost engagement and lead to more sales which is great for website owners. As for the buyer, cookies help them get a more personalized experience on a website or see ads that are more relevant. But there are a lot of drawbacks which we’ll discuss a bit later.
How are cookies used to authenticate a user?
We can call these session cookies. And each session cookie has a unique session ID. A website uses this ID to authenticate the user and establish a trusted connection. For example, to log in to Facebook, you need to enter your username and password. Next, a session is created with a unique ID.