Cookies: Why You Should Clear Them Regularly
Cookies are small pieces of data stored on your device by websites to remember your preferences, login details, and browsing history. While cookies can be helpful, it’s important to clear them regularly to protect your privacy, security and keep your device running smoothly. Here’s why you should make clearing cookies a regular habit.
Understanding Browser Cookies
Before looking into the reasons for clearing cookies, it’s essential to understand what cookies are and how they function. Cookies are small text files stored on your computer by websites you visit. They contain data such as login credentials, preferences, and browsing history. Cookies enable websites to remember your actions and settings, providing a more personalised and efficient browsing experience. However, this convenience comes at a cost, as cookies can also be exploited for malicious purposes.
Types of Browser Cookies
Understanding the different types of cookies can help you better manage your online privacy and security. Here are the main types of cookies:
- Session Cookies: Temporary cookies that are deleted once you close your browser. They store information about your current browsing session, such as login status or items in your shopping basket.
- Persistent Cookies: Also known as permanent cookies, these remain on your device even after you close your browser. They remember your preferences and login details for future visits.
- First-Party Cookies: Set by the website you are visiting, these cookies store information about your interactions with the site.
- Third-Party Cookies: Set by domains other than the one you are visiting, often used by advertisers and analytics companies to track your online activities.
- Secure Cookies: Only transmitted over secure (HTTPS) connections, enhancing the security of data transmission.
- HttpOnly Cookies: Accessible only through the HTTP protocol, protecting against cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. Read more on XSS attacks here.
- Supercookies: A type of tracking cookie that is more difficult to detect and remove, often used by ISPs (Internet Service Providers) to track users’ online activities.
Privacy Protection
Cookies can track your online activities, which can be used to build a profile of your browsing habits. This information can be used by websites and advertisers to target you with personalised ads. By clearing your cookies, you help protect your privacy and prevent websites from tracking your behavior over time.
Security
Some cookies can be exploited by cyber attackers to gain unauthorised access to your accounts. For example, session hijacking occurs when an attacker intercepts your session cookies, which contain information that identifies your session with a website. If an attacker obtains these cookies, they can impersonate you and gain access to your accounts. Regularly clearing cookies reduces this risk by ensuring that old session cookies are removed and can’t be exploited.
Preventing Session Hijacking
One of the primary security concerns associated with cookies is session hijacking. Session hijacking occurs when an attacker gains unauthorised access to your online accounts by intercepting your session cookies. These cookies contain information that identifies your session with a website, allowing you to stay logged in. If an attacker obtains these cookies, they can impersonate you and gain access to your accounts. Regularly clearing cookies reduces the risk of session hijacking by ensuring that old session cookies are removed and cannot be exploited.
Protecting Personal Information
Cookies store a whole lot of personal information, including login credentials, browsing history, and preferences. If these cookies fall into the wrong hands, they can be used to access your accounts and steal sensitive data. Clearing cookies helps protect your personal information by removing stored data that could be accessed by malicious entities. This is especially important if you use shared or public computers, where the risk of unauthorised access is higher.
Avoiding Unwanted Tracking
Third-party cookies are often used by advertisers and analytics companies to track your online activities. These cookies can build detailed profiles about your browsing habits, interests, and preferences. While this tracking can be used to deliver targeted ads, it also raises significant privacy concerns. Clearing cookies helps prevent unwanted tracking and protects your privacy by removing third-party cookies that monitor your online behaviour.
Reducing Risk from Unencrypted Websites
When you visit unencrypted websites (those without HTTPS), the data transmitted between your browser and the website is not secure. Cookies from these sites can expose your personal information to potential attackers. Clearing cookies ensures that any data collected from unencrypted websites is removed, reducing the risk of your information being compromised.
Removing Suspicious Cookies
Sometimes, cookies can be flagged as suspicious or potentially harmful. These cookies may be used by malicious websites to track your activities or steal your data. Regularly clearing cookies helps remove suspicious cookies and reduces the risk of malware and other security threats.
Preventing Identity Theft
Identity theft is a growing concern in the digital world. Cookies can store personal information that, if accessed by hackers, could lead to identity theft. Clearing cookies helps protect against this risk by ensuring that sensitive data is not stored for extended periods.
Enhancing Browser Performance
Accumulated cookies can slow down your browser and affect its performance. Clearing cookies can improve browser speed and overall performance, making your browsing experience safer and more efficient. This is particularly important if you notice websites becoming slow or buggy.
Did you know that the term “computer bug” was coined in 1947 when pioneering computer scientist Grace Hopper found a real moth trapped in the Mark II computer’s relay? This insect caused a malfunction, leading to the creation of the term “debugging” to describe the process of fixing computer issues. However, the term “bug” in the context of defects in machines dates back to the late 19th century, with Thomas Edison referring to “bugs” in his work as early as 1878.
Outdated Cookies
Cookies can become outdated and may not function correctly, potentially causing security vulnerabilities. Regularly clearing cookies ensures that only up-to-date cookies are stored, reducing the risk of security issues arising from outdated cookies.
How Often Should You Clear Cookies?
The frequency of clearing cookies depends on your browsing habits and security needs. If you use shared or public computers, it’s best to clear cookies after each session to protect your privacy. For personal devices, clearing cookies once a month is usually sufficient to maintain security and performance. Additionally, if you’ve entered sensitive information on a website, clearing cookies afterward can help ensure that data isn’t stored.
To enhance your privacy and manage your browsing data, you can configure your browser to automatically clear cookies every time you close it. This setting can be found in your browser’s settings menu. By enabling this option, you ensure that all cookies are deleted at the end of each browsing session, helping to protect your personal information and maintain your privacy.
Conclusion
Clearing browser cookies is a vital practice for maintaining online security. By regularly removing cookies, you can prevent session hijacking, protect personal information, avoid unwanted tracking, reduce risks from unencrypted websites, remove suspicious cookies, prevent identity theft, enhance browser performance, and ensure that only up-to-date cookies are stored. Incorporating this practice into your routine will help safeguard your online activities and protect your sensitive data from potential threats. Stay vigilant and make clearing cookies a regular part of your online security strategy.
