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The information presented below is intended to inform the user about the placement, use and administration of cookies. The web page www.OcstudentCenter.com uses its own and third party cookies to provide visitors better navigation experience and services tailored to the needs and interests of each one.
What is a cookie?
“Internet Cookie” (also known as “browser cookie” or “HTTP cookie” or simply “cookie”) is a small file of letters and numbers that will be stored on your computer, your mobile phone or other device that is used to access the Internet with.
A cookie consists of two parts: the name and the content or the value of the cookie. Furthermore, the duration of a cookie is determined; technically, only the web-server that sent the cookie can access it again when a user returns to the website associated with that webserver.
The cookie is installed through a web-server request to a browser (eg. Internet Explorer, Chrome) and is completely “passive” (does not contain software, viruses or spyware and cannot access the information on the user’s hard drive).
Cookies themselves do not require personal information to be used and, in most cases, don’t personally identify Internet users.
What are the benefits of cookies?
A cookie contains information linking a web browser (user) and a specific web-server (website). If a browser accesses that web-server again, it can read the already stored information and react accordingly.
Cookies play an important role in facilitating the access and delivery of multiple services the user enjoys on the Internet, such as:
What type of information is stored and accessed through cookies?
The cookie stores important information that enhances Internet browsing experience (eg. setting up the language of a site; keeping a user logged into the webmail account; online banking security; keeping your products in your shopping cart).
Why are cookies important for the Internet?
Cookies are the central focus of the efficient Internet, helping to generate a friendly browsing experience and tailored to the preferences and interests of each user. Denying or disabling cookies can make some sites unusable.
Denying or disabling cookies does not mean you will not receive online advertising – just that it will no longer be able to keep track of your preferences and interests highlighted by your browsing behavior.
What cookies do we use?
We use two types of cookies: per session and permanent. The first ones are temporary files that remain in the user’s device until the end of the session or closing the application (the web browser). Permanent files remain on the user’s device for a while in the cookie parameters or until they are deleted manually by the user.
How are cookies used by this site?
A visit to this site may place the following cookies:
Do the cookies contain personal data?
Cookies themselves do not require personal information to be used and, in most cases, do not personally identify Internet users. Personal data collected by using cookies can be collected only to facilitate certain user functions. Such data is encrypted in a way that makes impossible to be access by unauthorized persons.
Tips for safe and responsible cookie-based navigation.
Cookies are everywhere and cannot be avoided if you wish to enjoy the best and biggest websites on the Internet – local or international. Due to their flexibility and the fact that most of the frequently visited sites and the biggest ones use cookies, they are almost inevitable. Disabling cookies will not allow the user to access the most popular and used sites, including Youtube, Gmail, Yahoo and others.
Here are some tips that can help you navigate without worries using cookies:
Customize your browser’s cookie settings to reflect your comfort level with cookie security.
If you share access on your computer, you may want to set your browser to clear private browsing data every time you close your browser. While not as secure as rejecting cookies outright, this option lets you access cookie-based websites while deleting any sensitive information after your browsing session.
If you are very comfortable with cookies and you are the only person using your computer, you may want to set long expiration time frames for storing your personal access information and browsing history.
Install and keep antispyware applications updated.
Many spyware detection, cleanup applications, and spyware removers include attack site detection. They block your browser from accessing websites designed to exploit browser vulnerabilities or download malicious software.
Make sure your browser is updated. Many cookie-based exploits are based on exploiting older browsers’ security shortcomings.
It is usually possible to stop your browser accepting cookies or to stop it accepting cookies from a particular website. For example, we cannot tell if you are signed in without using cookies, so you would not be able to post comments.
All modern browsers allow you to change your cookie settings. These settings will typically be found in the ‘options’ or ‘preferences’ menu of your browser. In order to understand these settings, the following links may be helpful, otherwise you should use the ‘Help’ option in your browser for more details:
Security and privacy issues
Cookies are not viruses. They are not compiled pieces of code so they cannot be executed nor are they self-executing. Accordingly, they cannot make copies of themselves and spread to other networks to execute and replicate again. Since they cannot perform these functions, they fall outside the standard virus definition.
Most browsers have built in privacy settings that provide differing levels of cookie acceptance, expiration time and disposal after a user has visited a particular site.
Cookies can be used for malicious purposes though. Since they store information about a user’s browsing preferences and history, both on a specific site and browsing among several sites, cookies can be used to act as a form of spyware. Many anti-spyware products are well aware of this problem and routinely flag cookies as candidates for deletion after standard virus and/or spyware scans.
Other security issues related to cookies:
Since identity protection is highly valued and is every internet user’s right, it pays to be aware of what threat cookies can pose. As cookies are transmitted back and forth between a browser and website, if an attacker or an unauthorized person gets in between the data transmission, the sensitive cookie information can be intercepted.
Although relatively rare, this can happen if the browser is connecting to the server using an unencrypted network (e.g. an non-secured Wi-Fi channel).
Other cookie-based attacks involve exploiting faulty cookie-setting systems on servers. If a website doesn’t require browsers to use encrypted channels only, attackers can use this vulnerability to trick browsers into sending sensitive information over insecure channels. The attackers then siphon off the sensitive data for unauthorized access purposes. It is very important to be careful in choosing the most appropriate method of protecting personal information.