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Cyber Security

Don’t leave cookies for cybercriminals…they aren’t Santa

By November 13, 2022No Comments

Don't authorize unsecure websites.

Let ProtectIQ protect your cookies from cybercriminals.

Anyone who regularly browses the internet must have seen some sort of pop-up or other forms of alert about the use of cookies, which are small bits of text that are downloaded and stored on your computer by your browser. So, is it safe to enable cookies?

Simply put, cookies are an important tool on the internet and have the potential to give businesses a great deal of insight into your online activity. Far beyond the privacy-related issues, there are many ways that unprotected cookies can be manipulated and expose users to severe security incidents.

Any cookie related to authentication should always be transmitted securely, but that is not always the case. One example is cookies without a security flag. When a cookie is set with the Secure flag, it instructs the browser that the cookie can only be accessed over secure channels. If the secure flag is not set, this could allow an attacker eavesdropping network traffic to easily capture the cookie and use it to gain illegitimate access. One of the most basic ways you can prevent cookie theft and session hijacking is by checking URLs. More sure websites are using HTTPS to ensure that all your session traffic is encrypted with SSL/TLS. Most websites these days use HTTPS encryption, but it’s best always to check. This is especially true when entering personal data.

Normally hackers love to steal passwords but stealing your cookies may be just as good. By installing your cookies with hashed passwords into their web browser, the criminal can immediately access your account, with no login required. Your cookies can then be used to easily compromise social media, email, and many other services.

A simple but effective way to stop hackers from stealing your personal information is to simply clear cookies on a regular basis. Experts recommend doing this every 7 to 14 days. They also advise never storing credit card information on a site unless it is trusted. Deleting cookies does have one drawback however – you will have to re-enter passwords and personal information next time you logon to a website. This may be inconvenient and annoying, but it is also much safer in the long run, protecting you against cookie theft.

With ProtectIQ™, you will receive the internet security you need. ProtectIQ is a network-level security application that works quietly in the background and proactively keeps malicious websites, viruses, and intrusion away from your home 24×7.

ProtectIQ is included with your RTC Networks internet service on the Gigaspire router. If you don’t currently have a Gigaspire please contact us to install this upgraded router for free. For more information please visit our Wi-Fi page.