Stagger,
I’m not scare mongering here. But Internet users should be aware about harmful possibilities and cookies fall in the same category as e-mail viruses – fortunately a lot less harmful.
Some small technical details:
Cookies can only influence the browser. They can transmit (or to be correct cause the browser to transmit) the data contained in the user profile (or within windows with MSIE the windows user profile). But they, via the browser, can theoretically do a lot more: they can instruct the browser to up- or download files. Thus, technically, a cookie can cause the browser down download and activate a small program, which allows a malicious intruder to do a lot more. The German ‘Chaos Computer Club’ has demonstrated this security risk by remotely controlling a test PC and newer browser version are quite well protected.
The majority of all cookies are useful and necessary. Further, the majority of abusive cookies are not directly harmful but gather information and spy on the Internet user. DoubleClick does more than they claim. At first DoubleClick sets a cookie to harvest personal information. Subsequently, that cookie is replaced with a serialised cookie transmitting that serial number each time the user hits an associated site (of which there are very many). I haven’t come across any directly harmful cookies yet but information gathering and junk mail are a clear violation of privacy rights. And you perfectly correct – this is the main problem. As administrator of our own site and relatively small LAN (50 –60 users) I can wildness daily large scale spamming despite strict spam control and blocking.
I definitely don’t want to sound ‘paranoia’ or scare anybody but all Internet users should be aware of this, as remedy is quite easy: Keep upgrading your windows and your browser and delete your cookies. Plus as lot as people are aware chances are very remote that somebody would try something really nasty.
Pprune needs sponsoring but all pruners might help Capt Pprune to keep the spies out by making donations to keep the site alive, free and cookie clean.
BeePee
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Diesel 8 forever!