You Deleted Your Cookies? Think Again

[The Straight Story]

You Deleted Your Cookies? Think Again

More than half of the internet’s top websites use a little known capability of Adobe’s Flash plugin to track users and store information about them, but only four of them mention the so-called Flash Cookies in their privacy policies, UC Berkeley researchers reported Monday.

Unlike traditional browser cookies, Flash cookies are relatively unknown to web users, and they are not controlled through the cookie privacy controls in a browser. That means even if a user thinks they have cleared their computer of tracking objects, they most likely have not.

What’s even sneakier?

Several services even use the surreptitious data storage to reinstate traditional cookies that a user deleted, which is called ‘re-spawning’ in homage to video games where zombies come back to life even after being “killed,” the report found. So even if a user gets rid of a website’s tracking cookie, that cookie’s unique ID will be assigned back to a new cookie again using the Flash data as the “backup.”

Even the Whitehouse.gov showed up in the report, with researchers reporting they found a Flash cookie with the name “userId.” The site does say in its privacy policy that it uses tracking technology but it does not mention Flash or tell users how to get rid of the Flash cookie.

....

Tools:

Users who want to control or investigate Flash cookies have several options, according to reader Brian Carpenter:

Windows:
* Better Privacy extension for Firefox -
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6623

* Ccleaner - http://www.ccleaner.com/

Mac OS X:
http://machacks.tv/2009/01/27/flushapp-flash-cookie-removal-tool-for-os-x/

Where to find these flash cookies:
* Windows: LSO files are stored typically with a “.SOL” extension, within each user’s Application Data directory, under Macromedia\FlashPlayer\#SharedObjects.

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/08/you-deleted-your-cookies-think-again/

[hobbit709]

1. Found 408 of them

They are now in Never Never Land

[DevonRex]

3. Did you use ccleaner? nt

[hobbit709]

11. Nope

They're not registry entries. Just went to C: drive in Windows Explorer, Search for .sol file names including hidden files and folder. When it found them I just did select all, delete and empty recycle bin.
I have my own ways of cleaning crap and streamlining my system and as long as they work, that's the way I do it.
I have various apps to do the same but I've found that looking myself always finds things the apps missed.

[DevonRex]

15. Thank you. I'll try it your way first. It's really hit and miss on which app

will help and I really didn't want to download another one.

[DeschutesRiver]

41. Thanks.! Deleted most that I found, but some are refusing to be deleted.

I get a message that says "can't delete file: cannot read from the source file or disk".

What does this mean and is there a way around it so I can delete the remainder?

[DainBramaged]

30. Only 128 but I just 'did' them a bout 3 weeks ago.

Noticed those little cockroaches a while ago and did my due diligence and realized that Big Brother is still trying to fuck us.

[notesdev]

2. Thanks, very helpful

I would also recommend the FlashBlock add-on for Firefox users, a good utility to make sure only the flash applications you want to make use of actually run on your machine.

[Daphne08]

4. Thanks.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. Thanks!!!!

[Lochloosa]

6. 311 found

[OwnedByFerrets]

Thank you for this post

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

7. I had many problems about a year ago and started to use CCleaner. It's great. )

[kenny blankenship]

8. If you use firefox, install the Objection add-on

finds and identifies and eliminates Flash objects used to track you.

[FSogol]

10. Can't find an add-on called Objection. Got a link? n/t

[kenny blankenship]

14. Betterprivacy does the same thing - I hadn't heard of it before now

Objection is apparently not being developed/maintained as actively as Betterprivacy is. I think I will use Betterprivacy instead. (Also you can always just delete everything in ~/.macromedia )

The current homepage for Objection is
http://objection.mozdev.org/

[FSogol]

16. Thanks. n/t

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

29. When I went to betterprivacy, firefox told me it was malicious software.

[kenny blankenship]

40. Firefox warned you it did not know the author of the software

which is something it will do in the event of any software install to firefox that doesn't originate directly from the mozilla development team. Pieces of mozilla/firefox can be distributed in a package form called .xpi You might install a spelling dictionary prepared for mozilla by the development team for a foreign language that way. Add-ons written by a third party are also installed by .xpi package. When it is a third party install, it isn't signed by mozilla.org and thus you get the warning.

You see this caution with a big exclamation mark inside a dangerous looking triangle:

"Install add-ons only from authors you trust!"
"Malicious software can damage your computer or violate your privacy"

You will see this warning for basically any add-on at addons.mozilla.org, including themes.
It doesn't mean it is malicious software. Firefox is not an antivirus program that screens addons for virus signatures. It does mean mozilla.org didn't write it and isn't vouching for it.
On the other hand, they are distributing and even recommending Better Privacy on their add-ons site.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6623

[KittyWampus]

9. tagged for use later

[WeDidIt]

12. I use CCleaner

It's the best piece of software for this, and it is increbily versatile. I use it to clean my registry.

Gereally, I will run CCleaner weekly, then run full scans of AdAware, Malwarebytes, Super Anti-spyware, Spybot serach and destroy, followed up with a full scan with McAffee anti-virus.

[bemildred]

13. Thanks, that was good. nt

[Jokerman]

17. Adobe products are an IT administrator's nightmare.

Flash, Shockwave and Acrobat all will re-enable automatic updates and download them whether you want them to or not. We've had our entire internet connection flooded with this crap.

The master Creative Suite is now over 15GB when completely installed. Updates to the suite can be 1-3 GB.

Their products act more like a virus every day.

[kenny blankenship]

22. Speaking less figuratively, I would say that their products are typical of a monopolist vendor

I think Adobe should be broken up like other abusive monopolies have been in the past. Most people who give 2 shits about software monopolists tend to think only about the obvious anticompetitive villain who goes around threatening OEM pc makers and knifing other companies' babies, and "embracing and extending" and breaking standards. However Adobe is in their own quiet way, another stifling monopolist. That their Flash product should have such a stranglehold on the distribution of video content over the web is alarming. And someone has yet to plausibly explain how it is that the HTML 5 standard cannot be finalized, including a standard, open video codec, without mentioning the impasse between PC-OS monopolist Microsoft, internet monopolist Google, and content creation monopolist Adobe.

[OregonBlue]

18. You can set this yourself, deny write function in Flash Player, here's how:

If you are comfortable with changing your settings;

Go to My computer
Local disk (C:)
Click on Documents and Settings
Click on Administrator
Click on Application Data
Click on Macromedia
Click on Flash Player
Click on Shared Objects
Open folder 8DBFE4AG
Delete all Cookies
NOW
Right click on folder 8DBFE4AV
Click on Properties
Click Security tab
Go to Permissions
Go to write box
Place a check in the Deny box

Cookies can no longer be written to this folder.
I did this weeks ago and it doesn't seem to affect my computer.

[HillWilliam]

25. I found a second, parallel set of cookies in an adjacent folder

...\Shared Objects\macromedia.com . I did the same for this folder and nothing seems to be affected. The AccuWeather desktop widget is ad-heavy and seems to attract a lot of cookies. The "fingerprints" were in that folder as well. I'd advise doing the same for this folder; I haven't had any ill effect so far.

[OregonBlue]

35. Thanks. I didn't find this on my own so didn't know to look for others. I'll do as you suggested!!

[City Lights]

19. Thanks...I had 305.

Recommended.

[myrna minx]

20. Thank you. K&R n/t

[Feron]

21. There's no need for a program or extension to delete flash cookies.

Adobe has a settings panel: http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager06.html

You can delete cookies and opt out of sites being able to set more. I've linked to one tab, but you can click the tabs for more options.

[Blue Diadem]

27. Thanks!

I bookmarked it so I can find it in the future too.

[ohheckyeah]

34. Nevermind. I found it.

I just ran a search and had 122 .sol files.

[AzDar]

23. Thanks!

:hi:

[Shagbark Hickory]

24. The corporations already know everything there is to know about me. n/t

fucking corporations.

[Quantess]

26. Good to know. Thank you.

[Kadie]

28. Thanks.

need to come back and read this further later.

[Blue_Tires]

31. k+r

[Strong Atheist]

32. HA, HA, HA! I don't do flash! nt.

[fishwax]

33. k/r -- thanks!

[slay]

36. VERY helpful post - go here to disable the Flash cookies and delete:

http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager07.html

For some reason, they won't let you control this from your PC - you have to do it on their website. Anyways, after changing storage space allowed to NONE and Disable 3rd Party info - go to the far right tab to delete any current ones.

[OregonBlue]

37. You can do it on your own by denying them the write function, see my previous post.

Also turns out there are two folders where cookies are stored.

C:, Documents and Settings, Administrator, Application Data, Macromedia, Flash Player, Shared objects, 8DBFE4AV, Security, permissions, deny write

and C:. D & S, Admin, App Data, Macromedia, Flash Player, Macromedia.com, Flash Player, Sys, deny write

If you go to these two folders, delete the cookies and then right click, go to security tab, permissions and click the box to the right of the write box (deny), cookies are no longer written to your computer.

[slay]

38. Ah very cool

thnx for the info! :hi:

[wildbilln864]

39. Hey thanks! But....

I found 951 and it won't let me select all and then delete. What to do?

[Skip Intro]

42. Cool. Never heard of this. Used the add on you link to for ff, deleted 406 of them.

Thanks for the info and the links.

K&R.

[glitch]

43. Marked performance improvement after deleting, thanks! nt

[applegrove]

44. I only deleted cookies on my computer when it was going at a really slow pace and I had

to delete temporary files. Otherwise I don't care. I don't have any money so nobody would be targetting me for marketing or such.