You must have browsed through websites and countlessly been interrupted by a pop-up notification asking if you want to “accept all cookies.” Some people just click on any option just to get rid of the notification and continue their browsing.
However, accredited security service providers recommend not accepting cookies and browsing a lot more carefully online to avoid becoming a victim of cybercrime. How? You have come to the right blog.
Cybersecurity refers to the acts of preventing data and privacy breaches on phones, computers, laptops, or any digital platform. Now, the fundamental question that needs to be answered is: is it safe to allow cookies? More importantly, what are cookies, and how are they related to your privacy?
What Is A Cookie?
Consider a cookie, a small file that is placed on websites. When a user visits the website, cookies allow the website to find out what activity the user has done in the past.
The invention of cookies was primarily to help customers have their content be more tailored and customized to improve their web browsing experience.
HTTP cookies are necessary for the modern Internet, yet they pose a risk to your privacy. HTTP cookies, which are a required aspect of web browsing, assist web developers in providing you with more personalized and tailored website visits.
Cookies allow websites to remember you, your website logins, shopping taste, and other information. They can, however, be a goldmine of private information for cyber-criminals to spy on you.
What Are The Types Of Cookies?
Session Cookies: These cookies are deleted as soon as you leave the site. This means your information will not be stored on the device you are using.
Persistent Cookies: Unlike session cookies, these cookies are permanently stored on the hard drive unless deleted manually. They are used to track and explore consumer behaviour and preferences on various sites. For example, language preferences and more.
Third-Party Cookies: this means that a third party has placed cookies on a website you are browsing. The cookies do not even belong to the websites you use, which is usually done for advertisement purposes.
Third-party cookies pose the most susceptibility to cybersecurity risks, and they present the most risk. Ransom attacks and cyberattacks are often the results of the exploitation of third-party cookies.
How Are Cookies Dangerous?
The data stored in cookies does not change, and cookies themselves don’t pose a danger. They cannot themselves infect the computer with viruses. Instead, cyberattackers can hijack these cookies and allow access to your browsing sessions.
Cybercrime risks can be mitigated if the right professional cybersecurity service providers are hired to cleanse your digital footprint.
Also read: Cyber Security Tips To Secure Your Company.
Cookie Poisoning
Cookie poisoning occurs when a cybercriminal hijacks, edits, forges or manipulates a cookie in order to obtain unauthorized access to a user’s account, start a new account in the user’s name, or steal the user’s information for identity theft.
Cookie poisoning attacks are typically directed at user session cookies. Cookie-based attacks on sessions attempt to trick the web server into believing the attacker is the legitimate user.
Here are some examples of such attacks:
Spoofing a session: The legitimate user is impersonated, as the attacker initiates a new session with counterfeit or stolen session tokens. This form of attack does not require user involvement and can be launched even if the user is not signed into the website.
Session fixation: Attackers utilize a known session identifier to trick a user into logging in to a vulnerable or malicious site using techniques such as a phishing email. The user session is then hijacked by the attacker.
Hijacking a session: When an authentic user logs in to a website, attackers utilize the current session cookie to hijack the user’s session.
About GPS Security Group
GPS Security Group offers a wide range of security services in Canada. We have a large team of experienced and trained security guards who can fulfill all types of security requirements.
Whether you are looking for temporary security services for a special event or cybersecurity, you can contact us at any time to get the best protection and security services you can find in Canada.
