[plug] Flash 'cookies'

[Kev]

Steve Boak wrote:
> Hi All
>
> Just read this disturbing article about LSOs or "Local Shared Objects" placed 
> in the .macromedia folder by some Flash programs.
>
> http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/08/you-deleted-your-cookies-think-again/
>
> They apparently work like cookies, but are never deleted, and can be used by 
> some Flash programs to 'backup' standard cookes and replace them if the cookie 
> is deleted. It seems several advertising companies are already using them to 
> track preferences and ad placements.
>
> I found 67 folders containing over 100 of the little beasties under 
> ~/.macromedia/Flash_Player/#SharedObjects/RZXX9SFB/ on my system (the 
> 'RZXX9SFB' seems to be a randomly generated folder name).
>
> The filenames are all *.sol, most seemed to be innocuous settings for volume 
> controls etc. Contents can be viewed with hexdump. There appears to be an 
> identifying string of 'TCSO' in bytes 6-9 then a series of ascii key and 
> binary(?) value pairs.
>
> The flash cookies are not encrypted, and Flash is not required to create, 
> read, or write these files, so any private information stored within them is 
> open to any application with access to your home directory.
>
> There is a Firefox addon to control them and more information at 
> https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6623
>
> Adobe provides more information at
> http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/526/52697ee8.html
> and a rather cumbersome control panel to control or even delete these LSOs at 
> http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager07.html
>
> I used this to clean up the files on my system, and it did delete them all.
>
> Steve
> _______________________________________________
> PLUG discussion list: plug at plug.org.au
> http://www.plug.org.au/mailman/listinfo/plug
> Committee e-mail: committee at plug.linux.org.au
>   

I found another copy of the same .sol files here:
~/.macromedia/Flash_Player/macromedia.com/support/flashplayer/sys

Cheers
Kev


-- 
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Kev Downes
The Other Other Operation
kdownes at oceanbroadband.net  ph 0404 7 0808 2
We currently use Xandros 4.1
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There are 10 types of people ...
   ... those who understand binary, and those who don't!
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Political correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional,
illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous
mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that
it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.
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