Browsing Security Basics Part 5 - Erasing Your Private Data

Part 1-Your Private Data	Part 4a-Web Browser Cookies
Part 2-Web Browsing History	Part 4b-Managing Cookies
Part 3-Web Browser Cache	Part 5-Erasing Your Private Data

If you use more than one type of Web browser, you have to clear your private data from each of those Web browsers after use. Some Web browsers will let you delete many types of data from one window.

If you're using Firefox 3, the following steps will lead you to the Clear Private Data dialog window:

1) Click "Tools" in the main menu.
2) Click "Clear Private Data" on the drop-down menu to open a new dialog window.

Under IE7, you can open the Delete Browsing History dialog window like so:

1) Click "Tools" in the main menu.
2) Click "Delete Browsing History"
*) Note that the dialog uses "Temporary Internet Files" instead of "Cache".

With Opera 9, there is a Delete Private Data dialog window that is opened using the following:

1) Click "Tools" in the main menu.
2) Click "Delete Private Data".
3) Click "Detailed Options" to show you what you can choose to delete.

These dialogs will have more than just history, cache and cookies. Feel free to check the help files for your Web browser and find out what else needs to be deleted. You can use this information as a basis for learning other Web browser tricks and tips.

Browsing Security Basics Part 4a - Web Browser Cookies

Part 1-Your Private Data	Part 4a-Web Browser Cookies
Part 2-Web Browsing History	Part 4b-Managing Cookies
Part 3-Web Browser Cache	Part 5-Erasing Your Private Data

Web browser cookies have become commonplace and unavoidable in common Web browsing tasks.

In the most basic sense, the term "cookie", when applied to computers, refers to a piece of information that is stored by one system, and used solely by another. These are also known as "magic cookies", and are useless to the system that stores them. They are only read and changed by "the other system".

As each "magic cookie" is intended to be stored as a separate file, Web browsers will usually store them in separate files as well. Security scanning programs (virus or ad scanners) can be used to find and delete cookies more easily this way. These files can also be opened in a text editor.

Cookies are useful for keeping track of user preferences and sessions. Unless you have an account at a Web site, the site has no reliable way of keeping track of you other than by using cookies. If you do have an account on the Web site, this information can be stored on the Web site instead of your computer. Web sites may try to keep their tracking systems simple by only using cookies, though.

There are plenty of other things that cookies can be used for. They can be used to keep track of certain Web sites you visit, or to keep a list of items in your 'Shopping Cart' on a Web site. If you instruct a site to change your display or language options, most likely a cookie will be stored on your computer with this information.

Most concerns stem from a Web site's ability to track a user's activites on the Internet. Please find a more detailed explanation of cookies at Webopedia's "What You Need To Know About Cookies" page.

Browsing Security Basics Part 3 - Web Browser Cache

Part 1-Your Private Data	Part 4a-Web Browser Cookies
Part 2-Web Browsing History	Part 4b-Managing Cookies
Part 3-Web Browser Cache	Part 5-Erasing Your Private Data

Computers use caches to store temporary information. Someone who's moving into a new house may first distribute the large items (furniture, appliances) to their respective rooms. Then they may use the living area to cache all of the boxes and small items before or while distributing them to the other parts of the house.

A Web browser keeps items in its cache for later retrieval. When your Web browser loads a web page from the Internet, it will store graphics and other Web files to your hard drive. This helps speed up your Web browsing experience, because instead of downloading the files again (which takes more time), it can refer to the copies on your hard drive (which takes less time).

One problem with caching involves scripts that are loaded outside of the Web page (similar to Cross Site Scripting, or XSS). Such a script can tell the Web browser to never reload it again.

If that script has a unique ID number inside to identify your computer from anyone else's computer, the script can send it to the Web site along with your browsing history and other stuff. All of this information is associated on the Web site with the ID number on your computer. More information about Web browser cache security is available at this Darknet UK Web page.

Another problem with caching is anyone at your keyboard can view the Web browser cache with any number of tools. If other people access your computer, they may be able to access your logins and other private things.

It's recommended you allow your Web browser to completely clear the cache when it exits. Most Web browsers have this feature.

Browsing Security Basics Part 2 - Web Browsing History

Part 1-Your Private Data	Part 4a-Web Browser Cookies
Part 2-Web Browsing History	Part 4b-Managing Cookies
Part 3-Web Browser Cache	Part 5-Erasing Your Private Data

When your Web browser loads a web page from the Internet, it stores the address (URL) and the title of that page. The Web browsing history is made up of the list of pages you have visited.

Scripting is used to let a Web page give internal information about the Web browser to a Web site. Javascript is a popular scripting language for accessing Web browser internal information. Javascript can also submit requests to other Web sites without the general user knowing anything was sent.

Once a Web page has sent your Web browser's history to a Web site, the Web site can see if you've been to a competitor of that site, or target advertising to the nature of your Web browsing history.

Some Web browsers allow you to disable scripting, which can limit what a Web page can do but does not offer complete security. In fact, this page cleverly shows a method to avoid scripting while still reading the Web browsing history.

If you want to brush away those bread crumbs showing which Web sites you've been to, erase your Web browser's history. Web browsers should give you an option to clear your browsing history. This will erase all of the files contained within your Web browsing history.