Free Internet Security

A website cookie is a small text file which comprises of small bits of information that is stored on a computer by web surfing software called a web browser.

When the user enters an address of a website called the URL (Universal Resource Locator) into web browser, the browser starts a communication session with the server of that website.

This communication is often full duplex which means that information can be sent and received by the web browser.

In result of that communication a session is started and maintained between the server and web browser. The server stores a text file on the user’s computer through the web server, that file is called a cookie.

Website cookies have many uses. Cookies are stored for authentication by the servers that require a login id and password to start a session.

Cookies can also be used for storing site preferences. Website cookies are used to maintain user information such as shopping cart or an identifier. Cookies are composed of one or more than one name value pairs.

The information inside these cookies can be encrypted to secure the privacy of user, website cookies involving login and password information are often encrypted. The HTTP sends the cookie in the header of as response and the web browser sends that cookie back to server every time it requests a session.

Cookies can contain an expiry date, which means they will expire after certain time or they can be without expiry which means they will stay stores till the browser session is terminated. Cookies can be used by spywares to extract confidential information and may be classified by some anti spyware programs or antivirus software as harmful.

But cookies are not executable files and you can delete, allow or block cookies from settings area of your web browser. Blocking cookies may prevent you from login on to some websites as the sever needs a cookie to store that information and the web browser needs that cookie to instantiate a session.