Kaspersky warns of cookies on the web

A research study shows that more than 20% of websites use cookies, which are stored on users' devices, to remember previously saved information, settings, preferences and login credentials. Kaspersky highlights certain security considerations to keep in mind when working with cookies, although they may be phased out or replaced in the future. And almost every website still asks the user today if they want to "accept all cookies".

Cookies, are designed to make websites more user friendly. For example, a shopping site can remember a user's preferred currency, or a social networking site saves login details, so that the user does not have to enter a username and password each time they open their page.

But cookies can also track users' activities, such as collecting user data to make suggestions (and display targeted ads) based on them. These cookies may be owned not only by the site owners, but also by

The companies they have partnership agreements with, in this case called “third party cookies,” which is precisely why many say cookies are just tracking tools.

Cookies contain a wealth of private data and are therefore subject to regulation. Many countries around the world have implemented legislative and regulatory laws that require website owners to obtain users' consent to collect their data, through the box that appears when a user visits a site for the first time.

The chief technical expert for Kaspersky Middle East, Turkey and Africa emphasized that there are risks associated with users agreeing to all cookies, especially since they tend to accept them to quickly get rid of the "annoying" warning window. He called on users to be careful to read the instructions, and adjust the cookie settings to determine what

they allow it to save information about them. He added: "If a website allows the user to set cookies as desired, they can modify their advertising preferences, and other things that may contain sensitive information."

However, users can customize their cookie settings in web browsers even before visiting any website. Most of the popular browsers offer two ways to limit the impact of cookies on users' privacy; Either by completely deleting them from the device, or by blocking certain types of them, such as third-party files. Although the option to delete is easier and more reliable, it is still far from convenient.

The user can enhance their privacy and avoid inconvenience when visiting websites, by spending a few minutes adjusting their browser's cookie settings. There are other options such as the Private Browsing feature for private browsing in the Kaspersky Security Cloud platform, which will warn the user of phishing attempts and protect them from viruses.

This does not mean that users have to accept everything, endanger their privacy and identity theft, and be exposed to malware. "We must become more aware of the dangers inherent in cookies, and the potential for their misuse."