What is a small piece of data sent from a website and stored on a users web browser?
What is a cookie?A cookie is information that a website puts on a user's computer. Cookies store limited information from a web browser session on a given website that can then be retrieved in the future. They are also sometimes referred to as browser cookies, web cookies or internet cookies. Show
Cookies can be accessed by the browser user, the site a user is on or by a third party that might use the information for different purposes. Common use cases for cookies include session management, personalization and tracking. Cookies first appeared in 1994 as part of the Netscape Navigator web browser. They helped the browser understand if a user had already visited a given website. Netscape developer Lou Montulli invented the initial cookie implementation. He was granted U.S. Patent No. 5,774,670A, with the description, "Persistent client state in a hypertext transfer protocol based client-server system." Types of cookiesThere are multiple types of cookies that run in modern web browsers. Different types of cookies have specific use cases to enable certain capabilities.
Are cookies safe?Cookies have been part of daily internet operations for decades and are generally safe. However, third-party cookies are sometimes seen as intrusive. Third-party cookies enable entities to track user behavior in a way the user might not be aware of -- and they may infringe upon the user's privacy. Advertisers often use third-party cookies to track user activity to provide targeted ads to the user. This is a privacy concern for many who don't want to be tracked or have their browsing habits shared. Cookies that can identify users are now subject to General Data Protection Regulation and California Consumer Privacy Act regulations. View alternatives for providing targeted advertising to internet users here. There is also the potential for threat actors to hijack third-party cookies. This would give them access to user information and enable them to launch other attacks. These attacks include session hijacking, cross-site scripting and cross-site request forgery. Unsecured cookies can also be a potential security risk for users and website operators. An unsecured cookie is transmitted unencrypted over HTTP to the origin website or to a third party. If the information is something simple -- such as whether the user has visited the site before -- that's a minimal risk. But some sites may use cookies to store user information -- including personally identifiable information such as authentication credentials and payment card information. If that type of information is sent unencrypted, it can be intercepted and used by a criminal. A secure cookie only enables cookie information to be sent via HTTPS and does not have the same risk. Learn how to encrypt and secure a website using HTTPS here.
How to manage cookiesEvery major web browser has a set of controls to help users configure what types of cookies to accept and delete. Cookies can be managed via user preferences. Apple Safari
Google Chrome
Microsoft Edge
Mozilla Firefox
This was last updated in August 2021 Continue Reading About cookie
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What is a small piece of data sent from a website and stored on the user's computer by the user's web browser while the user is browsing?HTTP cookies (also called web cookies, Internet cookies, browser cookies, or simply cookies) are small blocks of data created by a web server while a user is browsing a website and placed on the user's computer or other device by the user's web browser.
What is a small data file stored on your computer after visiting a website?Computer cookies are small files, often including unique identifiers that web servers send to browsers. These cookies then can be sent back to the server each time your browser requests a new page. It's a way for a website to remember you, your preferences, and your habits online.
Are small pieces of information websites can store in your browser?Whenever you use the Internet, you leave a record of the websites you visit, along with each and every thing you click. To track this information, many websites save a small piece of data—known as a cookie—to your web browser. In addition to cookies, many websites can use your user accounts to track browsing activity.
What are data sent from a website and stored in a user's web browser while a user is browsing a website?An HTTP cookie is a small piece of data sent from a website and stored in a user's web browser while the user is browsing that website.
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