In computer terms, what is a "cookie" ?

basilmarket.com forums : Maple Story Tech Help & Patches | 10 posts archived

thread starter razorpoint Aug 30 2010 + PM | QUOTE | PERMALINK | REPORT

I recently scanned my laptop and it said 1 risk found. A cookie. I then deleted it, im just wondering what does it mean and what kind of risks can it pose?

My Characters: scr3w3dluck - 120 Bera F/P Mage

xkillervinyx 08/30/10 + PM | QUOTE | PERMALINK | REPORT

You probably ate a cookie, crumbs went on, in your computer and it went into the vertual word of .... COMPUTERS !@#@!

My Characters: SIyIsDaBest - 80 Bellocan Ranger

FJayyCee 08/30/10 + PM | QUOTE | PERMALINK | REPORT

IIRC, it's actually close to what xkillervinyx mentioned. A cookie is some leftovers from a site you visited. They are the "crumbs". ... Someone please, correct me if I'm wrong.

My Characters: FJayCee - 88 DemethosGMS Blade Specialist

ImALowStr 08/30/10 + PM | QUOTE | PERMALINK | REPORT

im not sure correct me if im wrong but a cookie is installed to your computer when you open a page (Browsing the internet) which allows the page to load faster the next time you open it..

My Characters: ShootBlind - 106 Yellonde Ranger

Super333 + PM | QUOTE | PERMALINK | REPORT

[quote] ImALowStr : im not sure correct me if im wrong but a cookie is installed to your computer when you open a page (Browsing the internet) which allows the page to load faster the next time you open it.. [/quote] Pretty much it. There are tracking cookies, which aren't a virus, but they keep track of sites you visit for statistic purposes.

My Characters: Galaciate - 136 Galicia I/L Arch Mage

BobR + PM | QUOTE | PERMALINK | REPORT

A cookie is a "text file" sent by a web site, that is stored in a special place on your hard drive by your browser. Some cookies are used to store passwords for the site, some are used to hold your "checkout basket" contents for a shopping site, some are used to let the site know what was the last message you read. These are examples of the "innocent" or useful kind of cookies. Then there are cookies that are deposited that are crafted to let other web sites "track" your usage of the web, for various reasons. They're not usually "dangerous" individually, but collected over time they begin to add up to a "profile" of what your browsing habits are, what kind of shopping sites you like to go to, or even what kind of medical problems you might have. It can tell all of this by examining the sites you've been on, and counting how many times you've gone back to them- things like that. This info can be used to "target" advertising to you- if you like to go to gaming sites, you'll be shown ads for game seller sites, or game sites or like that. It it looks like you're diabetic, they might send you ads aimed at diabetics. Some of this can also be put to more "evil" ends too apparently. It's these kinds of "tracking cookies" that most anti-virus and anti-malware scanners detect and remove. Cookies themselves are NOT dangerous though, so just having had one and removing it won't have any ill effects. It's good to get rid of them regularly.

My Characters: FantomeFlame - 64 Windia F/P Wizard

Ghede 08/31/10 + PM | QUOTE | PERMALINK | REPORT

From Dictionary.com - Computers . a message, or segment of data, containing information about a user, sent by a Web server to a browser and sent back to the server each time the browser requests a Web page. Long version, the person above me posted.

mapplestory 08/31/10 + PM | QUOTE | PERMALINK | REPORT

yeah its like when youtube says you watched these videos recently! you might also like these! they remember what you watched because of the tracking cookie

My Characters: siyes - 38 Windia Spearman

Creamphilly + PM | QUOTE | PERMALINK | REPORT

cookie do not harm your pc but A Trojan MAN Does! XD Btw this should be in the Chat section

My Characters: creamphil - 71 Bera Blade Specialist

General001 08/31/10 + PM | QUOTE | PERMALINK | REPORT

Cookies serve a number of functions, they do help your browser load the web page faster and they store information that you give tot he webpage so that it can remember you. In my opinion this is a remnent from the stupid ages of computing where people didnt realise how dangerous information was. Delete them every chance you get, they are considered dangerous by antivirus programs becuase of the information they contain about you. There is a whole host of programs designed to sift through your cookies and gather information about you. Also if you let them build up long enough wich most people do, they become a fragmented mess in your hard drive that can slow your web browsing down.

My Characters: sirronarudo - 95 Broa Blaze Wizard