Web cookie: Difference between revisions
start creation rough draft, unfinished!! trying to keep it simple with less complex wording for GA(general audience) consumers can understand |
finish filling out basic cookie categories. do add more if you think a new category of significance to add to the chart |
||
| Line 7: | Line 7: | ||
!Cookie Type | !Cookie Type | ||
!Use Case | !Use Case | ||
! | !Risk | ||
|- | |- | ||
|Form Cookie | |Form Cookie | ||
|When using a site you may be required to fill out a form field, that information can be stored by your agent when making a purchases or even renewing your licence making the experience more streamlined the next time you plan on making additional purchases on a website like that. | |When using a site you may be required to fill out a form field, that information can be stored by your agent when making a purchases or even renewing your licence making the experience more streamlined the next time you plan on making additional purchases on a website like that. | ||
|Depending on implementation such as if cookies are not properly encrypted by your browser and site your using you may be at risk if a malicious actor decides to swipe your cookies which could also include password and saved payment information | |Depending on implementation such as if cookies are not properly encrypted by your browser and site your using you may be at risk if a malicious actor decides to swipe your cookies which could also include password and saved payment information | ||
|- | |- | ||
|3rd Party Cookie | |3rd Party Cookie | ||
| | |These cookies can be used when companies have different registered domains or transferring the user to prevent annoying information duplication or joint partner domains that may be working with a third party vendor. However these cookies are more often than not used as tracking indicators about user behavior and what other sites you visit. | ||
| | |Considering the risk is it worth having third party cookies that silently track you? Many companies and brokers are ramping up their usage of tracking users with this metric along with browser fingerprinting to serve you targeted ads based on what pages you look at or search for | ||
|- | |- | ||
|Authentication Cookie | |Authentication Cookie | ||
| | |Are often tied to accounts that you use to prevent having to re-login each time you need to do an action with your account. these are usually stored as session cookies which generally have a shorter lifespan or even expire after your tab session has ended with the browser | ||
| | |These tend to be less risky, in cases where these tokens are stored short term and encrypted can provide you with much needed convenience. But in cases where your browser may be compromised either by malware or browser extension can have your session cookies hijacked and used to access your account | ||
|- | |- | ||
|Tracking Cookie | |Tracking Cookie | ||
| | |Often malicious, but can be used to track sites performance and metrics based on reoccurring traffic and visits made with minimal overhead | ||
| | |Usually sites will try to access third party cookies to learn more information about you with also adding there own. with this information they can calculate Value based pricing and targeted products that you may have recently looked at in previous weeks or days with a FOMO offer discount | ||
|- | |- | ||
|Preference Cookie | |Preference Cookie | ||
| | |Often the least identifiable cookie on a site, this can be used to store specific preferences like a footer dismissal to how many results should show from a search to provide better functionality and efficency especially if the site has no account system. | ||
| | |While this could possibly be used to track you, the information doesn't necessarily give you away. Since many that do implement this are domain specific cookies and not third party cookies as referenced earlier | ||
|} | |} | ||
==Why it is a problem== | ==Why it is a problem== | ||
==== Targeted advertising ==== | ====Targeted advertising==== | ||
==== Value based pricing ==== | ====Value based pricing==== | ||
==== Cross Website tracking ==== | ====Cross Website tracking==== | ||
==Examples== | ==Examples== | ||
* Honey using cookies to share new affiliate codes with other users, this also had included many private exclusive discount codes that employees or veterans got for shopping at stores costing businesses tons of money | *Honey using cookies to share new affiliate codes with other users, this also had included many private exclusive discount codes that employees or veterans got for shopping at stores costing businesses tons of money | ||
* Microsoft placing cookie tracking on school student devices https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/27/microsft_illegally_installed_cookies_ruling_austra_school/ | *Microsoft placing cookie tracking on school student devices https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/27/microsft_illegally_installed_cookies_ruling_austra_school/ | ||
* Imgur using tracking cookies to serve ads to users from third party sites [[Imgur]] | *Imgur using tracking cookies to serve ads to users from third party sites [[Imgur]] | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||