Cookies (2024)

A cookie is a piece of data from a website that is stored within a web browser that the website can retrieve at a later time. Cookies are used to tell the server that users have returned to a particular website. When users return to a website, a cookie provides information and allows the site to display selected settings and targeted content.

Cookies also store information such as shopping cart contents, registration or login credentials, and user preferences. This is done so that when users revisit sites, any information that was provided in a previous session or any set preferences can be easily retrieved.

Advertisers use cookies to track user activity across sites so they can better target ads. While this particular practice is usually offered to provide a more personalized user experience, some people also view this as a privacy concern.

History

The cookie wascreated in 1994 by Lou Montulliof Netscape Communications to create a more seamless experience for people making commercial transactions online. The term "cookie" was derived from an earlier programming term, "magic cookie," which was a packet of data programs that kept data unchanged even after being sent and received several times.

Type of Cookies

Session cookie

Session cookies are also known as transient cookies or per-session cookies. Session cookies store information while the user is visiting the website. These cookies are deleted once the user closes the session.

Persistent cookie

Persistent cookies are stored for a specific length of time. These cookies remain on your device until they expire or are deleted. Persistent cookies are sometimes called tracking cookies because they are used to collect user information such as browsing habits and preferences.

First-party and third-party cookies

First-party cookies are cookies set by websites that users directly visit. These cookies often store information that is relevant or related to the site, such as preferred settings or user location.

Third-party cookies are cookies that come alongside third-party content, such as embedded videos, ads, web banners, and scripts, on a visited website that users visit. Advertisers often use third-party cookies to track user behavior.

Supercookie

Supercookies are similar to session cookies in that they also track user behavior and browsing history. However, they also have theability to re-create user profiles, even after regular cookies have been deleted. Supercookies are also stored in different places than standard cookies. This makes detecting and removing them more difficult for the average user. Supercookies are sometimes called "zombie cookies" or "evercookies."

Flash cookie

Flash cookies or "local shared objects" [LSOs] are data files that are stored on computers by websites that use Adobe® Flash®. Like browser cookies, Flash cookies can store user information in Flash applications. Flash cookies are sometimes used by sites as "backup"once the browser cookie is deleted.

Security and privacy risks

While cookies cannot carry or install malware onto computers, they can be exploited by cybercriminals for their malicious schemes. Notable cases are listed below:

In November 2010, the Koobface worm was observed searching for cookies related to Facebook and using the stolen credentials to log in to victims’ accounts.
In May 2011, an Internet Explorer® zero-day bug was exploited to hijack session cookies using social engineering tactics.
In July 2011, an attack on numerous e-commerce websites used a malware that searches for internet caches, cookies, and browsing histories in order to steal login credentials and other data.

Cookies have long been viewed as having serious implications with user privacy. In 1996 and 1997, cookies were the topic of the US Federal Trade Commission hearings. The Internet Engineering Task Force [IETF] formed a special working group to address the specifications of cookies. In February 1997, the IETFspecifiedthat third-party cookies were not allowed, or at least enabled by default. This recommendation wassupersededin October 2000. Thenewer standardin 2011 allows the use of third-party cookies, but users can choose to not accept them.

Other efforts to address possible privacy issues include the "Do Not Track [DNT]" header mechanism for browsers. Once enabled, the DNT header will notify that users do not want to be tracked and that any tracking or cross-site user tracking must be disabled. Mozilla Firefox® was the first browser to implement the feature, followed by Internet Explorer, Safari®, Opera, and Google Chrome™.

What should users do?

Tweak built-in browser settings to delete and manage cookies, or enable third-party cookie blocking.
Opt not to use cookies in websites (though this can limit functionality)

Related terms: Cache

Links:

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/04/technology/04COOK.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/technology/21cookie.html?_r=3&

Products : Trend Micro Browser Guard

FAQs

What happens if you over beat cookies? ›

"Overmixing your dough will result in flatter, crispier cookies," Cowan said. If you overmix, you will end up aerating (adding air to) the dough, which causes the cookies to rise and then fall, leaving you with flat cookies.

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How many cookies should I eat a day? ›

While one cookie a day isn't going to completely derail your diet goals, it's often easy to eat more than one at a time, and soon enough, downing quite a few cookies throughout the day could lead to unwanted pounds.

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What if I put too much butter in my cookies? ›

Too much butter makes cookies turn out just as you'd expect: very buttery. This batch of cookies was cakey in the middle, but also airy throughout, with crispy edges. They were yellow and slightly puffy in the middle, and brown and super thin around the perimeter.

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What type of cookie is a Snickerdoodle: a bar cookie b formed cookie c pressed cookie d rolled cookie? ›

Snickerdoodles are a type of drop cookie (any cookie that is formed by dropping spoonfuls of dough directly onto a baking sheet) that is coated in cinnamon and sugar.

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How to tell if batter is overmixed? ›

Ready-to-go pancake batters and muffin doughs should be delightfully fluffy—don't fear a few lumps! When overmixed, these batters become dense and heavy or liquidy and runny, or visibly slack. Undermixed biscuit and pie dough won't hold together when pressed or squished, and there will be dry, uneven scabby bits.

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Is it okay to eat 10 cookies a day? ›

Eating 10 cookies in a day might not be the healthiest choice you can make, but it won't make you fat. However, if you eat 10 cookies per day for a daysss, don't exercise and eat other unhealthy, sugary, fatty foods, you'll see the results on your body.

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Can you eat cookies while trying to lose weight? ›

Baked sweets

Regularly eating foods like cookies, cakes, and pastries can make weight loss difficult. They're often high in calories, sugar, and saturated fat. And large quantities of these foods aren't good for our health. You don't have to completely cut baked sweets from your diet.

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Is cookie a junk food? ›

Easily identifiable examples of junk food include chips, doughnuts, candy, and cookies. But some products — such as sports drinks or breakfast bars — also meet the classification, as they're high in sugar and calories yet low in nutrients.

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Why are my cookies flat and crispy? ›

OVEN IS TOO HOT

Oven temperatures are a crucial factor in baking. If your cookies consistently come out flat, you may have selected the wrong baking temperature. If you bake cookies using too much heat, the fats in the dough begin to melt before the other ingredients can cook together and form your cookie's rise.

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What is the most popular cookie in the world? ›

Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. It is now sold in over 100 countries. Oreo was first produced in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company, now known as Na-Bis-Co.

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What is the old name for cookies? ›

A Sweet History: Where Did Cookies Originate? (

Across the world, cookies are now known by several names. The word originally came from the Dutch word keojke, which means "little cakes." The Scottish now know them as sweet buns, and the English call them biscuits.

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Why are snickerdoodles called snickerdoodles? ›

A few cookbooks explain that snickerdoodles are German in origin. They state that the cookie's name comes from the German word shneckennudel (which is a kind of cinnamon bun). Others trace its origin to New England's tradition of whimsical cookie names.

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Is there a way to fix overmixed cookie dough? ›

To avoid this, try using as little flour as possible while preparing to roll your dough. Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

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What are the effects of eating too much cookies? ›

Cookies tend to be high in refined sugar and saturated fats. They're generally considered unhealthy, and eating them often can be a risk factor for developing type II diabetes, obesity and Alzheimers. Currently, across the globe, more than 1.6 billion people over 15 years old are overweight or obese.

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How long should you beat cookie dough? ›

For a hand mixer, you will need to beat for 5 or 6 minutes. If you are using a stand mixer, it will be approximately 3 minutes on medium speed (tested on a KitchenAid, speed 4). If you have a Bosch mixer, use the dough hook and beat for 3 minutes on speed 3.

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What does beating do to cookies? ›

The main purpose of beating when baking is to incorporate air into the mixture so it will increase in volume during baking and make lighter cakes, cookies, and other baked goods with a finer texture.

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