Hi Robin,
In your statement: "Cookies are not malware: they are just passive text
files", a few questions come to mind.
I understand that "malware" is any kind of program or file that resides
onboard a system harddrive that can retrieve and transmit personably
identifiable information, download and install without user knowledge or
consent, or produce unwanted results like pop-up ad windows is considered
malware. (This description is NOT exhaustive)
Now, I use the Microsoft Anti-spyware Beta along with ZoneAlarm's
(
www.zonealarm.com) firewall. I also use the TeaTimer from the Spybot
Search
& Destroy in conjuntion with the firewall and the anti-spyware programs to
give me the best possible protection, and I learned that my machine was
LOADED with cookies that was constantly transmitting SOMETHING from my
computer to "phone home" servers.
After tracing these transmissions, I learned that Doubleclick.net and
Hitbox.com were just a couple of sites who was collecting data from me.
Now exactly WHAT was being extracted from my computer I don't know, but I
DO
know that the ZoneAlarm went nuts with warning screens that data was being
transmitted out to port 80 and several other ports on a constant basis.
Point-in-case, I respectfully disagree with your statement. Granted,
cookies
are simple data forms and do not contain executable program data, but on
the
same token, they DO transmit unencrypted data that does NOT have to be
sent
out without the user's knowledge the instant a user re-connects to
whereever.com.
I make an equal effort to combat third-party cookies along with viruses
and
hacks.
Thanx for reading this!
MSM1, BSB/IS-UOP
