Jump to content

Flash Cookies (cf. PC World, Dec 2009, pg 40)


veris

Recommended Posts

Flash cookies are different from what we're used to. These sneaky online actors are not where other cookies are stored and can easily go undetected. Visit "find.pcworld.com/63930"

 

My question is has/will CCleaner get these guys sooner, not later? What say you, Bill P?

 

 

 

email address removed by moderator

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I stand corrected. Bill P is the author of WinPatrol--which was downloaded by me at the same time as ccleaner.

Re: Flash Cookies -- they are NOT the same as traditional cookies, and accordingly, may not be automatically removed by ccleaner. But, I'd love it if they were ... :rolleyes:

 

 

 

August 17, 2009

 

Bruce Schneier on Security

 

Re: Flash Cookies

 

 

 

Flash has the equivalent of cookies, and they're (much) hard to delete: 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 no

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not exactly, there are some flash cookies that are not deleted.

I found some eBay cookies that are not removed, from secure.ebaystatic.com staying there after ccleaner has been executed.

I'm using the "Flash cookie Cleaner" from Consumersoft to delete them, but i need to manually run the program.

It would be nice for ccleaner to completely wipe out the Local Shared Objects folders if the user wants. I do!!!

Thanks

 

 

well... I found the way... manually added the following folders in Options->> Include:

 

\Documents and Settings\<user>\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash player\#SharedObjects\

\Documents and Settings\<user>\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash player\macromedia.com\support\flashplayer\sys\

 

works!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not exactly, there are some flash cookies that are not deleted.

I found some eBay cookies that are not removed, from secure.ebaystatic.com staying there after ccleaner has been executed.

I'm using the "Flash cookie Cleaner" from Consumersoft to delete them, but i need to manually run the program.

It would be nice for ccleaner to completely wipe out the Local Shared Objects folders if the user wants. I do!!!

Thanks

 

 

well... I found the way... manually added the following folders in Options->> Include:

 

\Documents and Settings\<user>\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash player\#SharedObjects\

\Documents and Settings\<user>\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash player\macromedia.com\support\flashplayer\sys\

See this thread about the one flash file CCleaner excludes:

 

http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showto...hl=settings.sol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks... you're right, but actually i'd like settings to be wiped out as well..

 

If anyone wants to completely block flash (and silverlight) Local Shared Objects, have a look at this.....

https://nodpi.org/forum/index.php/topic,1969.0.html

 

You just copy the code into notepad, and save it as a .bat file, then run it as per instructions for your operating system.

(it has to be run from an administrators account and further has to be run with right click 'run as administrator' for vista and 7 users).

 

Works a treat, if you have other limited users accounts on the same computer, temporarily make them admin, log in to their account and run it for them too, then change them back to limited users.

 

The batch file just creates a file where previously there were flash folders, giving the new files the same name as the original folders (without a dot extension), so the original folders cant be remade by anything wanting to save an LSO there... result = the LSO doesn't go anywhere.

 

Neat. And you never have to worry about cleaning them out again.

 

P.S - The author has lots of notes in the second post on that thread, the only downside I have seen as mentioned there some of those free flash games wont be able to make their saves, but makes you wonder why the games are free in the first place, if they are using flash cookie storage what else are they saving about you which wont clean out?.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can also go to the Adobe (Macromedia) site and use their Manager to deal with Flash Cookies:

 

Visit This Website

 

Here is the address:

 

http://www.macromedia.com/support/document...gs_manager.html

 

:rolleyes: Which would give him a settings.sol file which he doesn't want either. The settings.sol file is where you're suggested method saves those settings, and isn't always reliable... see these posts in the thread I linked to -

 

https://nodpi.org/forum/index.php/topic,196...5.html#msg22215

"I've used the Flash Player settings set not to store anything, and I've just noticed that the WaitroseLive online mag totally ignores the settings and stores stuff anyway."

 

https://nodpi.org/forum/index.php/topic,196...5.html#msg24065

"BTW - I have just been playing with my Flash setting and have discovered that there is a 'never' option as well as the 0Kb option. However, deleting domains from the list does not delete the directory that contains the LSO data for that domain: the .sol file is still there also.

A little more playing and checking the Macromedia settings again had re-enabled 100Kb storage and 3rd party content as default.

 

HOW DOES THE MACRIMEDIA SETTING WORK WHEN IT RE-INVENTS THE SETTINGS EACH TIME YOU VISIT "

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

CCleaner is missing a few of these flash cookies from time to time....i have the free version of Maxa cookie manager, which only shows the flash cookies but doesn't delete and several times it will show the missed flash cookies....in the past i remember some Firefox DOM cookies that it missed but recently it was 2 Silverlight cookies that said "nbcolympics" and i was too lazy to find them until today and sure enough they were there, i went to a page that played Silverlight to open the app and delete them but am wondering why CCleaner is missing them - maybe they are hiding these in new places??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

If your browser is Firefox, Flock, or SeaMonkey you can install the BetterPrivacy extension; it removes all Flash cookie folders including the settings. You can set it to automatically delete them on opening or closing of the browser. You can protect some of them. I protect the Flash cookie that Yahoo uses for the security image at login. Go to Mozilla and check it out if you use a Gecko browser.

saint satin stain

 

Qui bibit, dormit; qui dormit, non peccat; qui non peccat, sanctus est; ergo qui bibit sanctus est.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

If your browser is Firefox, Flock, or SeaMonkey you can install the BetterPrivacy extension; it removes all Flash cookie folders including the settings. You can set it to automatically delete them on opening or closing of the browser. You can protect some of them. I protect the Flash cookie that Yahoo uses for the security image at login. Go to Mozilla and check it out if you use a Gecko browser.

 

no, there are still some Firefox DOM cookies that are eluding Better Privacy, Privacy +, and CCleaner...they were from bigger sites like Fox News, i think CNN and a few others but the actual cookie was in a folder or file called webappstore.sqlite - so i couldn't see what it said...Maxa cookie mgr found it but wont delete it for me in the free version, but they finally do show you the actual folder where its located...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a look into the webappstore.sqlitefile on my system and it was virtually empty, and the 4-5 lines it did contain were of no significance. Didn't seem to relate specifically to me or my browsing so wonder what sites use this file, and why, cos I obviously don't visit them (or my setup stops it somehow) :huh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a look into the webappstore.sqlitefile on my system and it was virtually empty, and the 4-5 lines it did contain were of no significance. Didn't seem to relate specifically to me or my browsing so wonder what sites use this file, and why, cos I obviously don't visit them (or my setup stops it somehow) :huh:

 

 

all of the FF DOM cookies seem to be in that same webappstore.sqlite file or folder - that maxa app said i had 8 of those cookies but i only had to delete 3 sqlite files or folders over my different firefox profiles - 1 in each profile i guess....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.