Page 1 of 1

[Resolved] Strange and disgusting cookie problem

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 7:58 pm
by roparr2
Win XP Pro SP3
FF 3.5.3
NS

I installed Noscript a day or 2 ago.

I have cookies allowed, 3rd party cookies turned off. After several years of using FF, I have a huge list of Not Allowed cookies, a small one for Allowed, and Allow for session. I also have Cookie Culler, set to "Do not allow removed cookies to reappear," and I cull daily. I've been getting very few unwanted cookies with this system

i don't know if this is a coincidence with NS: Suddenly my cookies are overflowing with advertising companies, such as: 247realmedia, abmr.ner. ads.pointroll.com, nextag, fastclick, about 100 in all. Many of these are already on my Block list. They keep reappearing as fast as I can delete them.

I was advised to delete and re-create my cookie files. Worked for a few hours, now all the nasties are back, and my allowed cookies have disappeared. I also scanned my profile and my windows folders with Antimalware and AdAware.

Now my home page http://www.aldaily.com can't be reached, although i know it's up and i have it whitelisted.

HELP,TOM!!

Re: Strange and disgusting cookie problem

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 8:31 pm
by Giorgio Maone
This has nothing to do with NoScript.
It may be a Cookie Culler bug, but I don't know really.
I do use CS Lite, and don't allow almost anything.
However, whenever I need to "Allow cookies globally" for a test, I get overflowed like you, so I guess it's a systemic problem with the nowadays web.
I can only recommend CS Lite.

Re: Strange and disgusting cookie problem

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 9:52 pm
by roparr2
Thanks, Giorgio. I switched from Cookie Culler to Cookie Monster a little while ago, haven't tried CS Lite yet. The cookies refuse to be deleted. But maybe I'm misreading them. I just opened some. Some are called Opt-Out or Notarget. Are these non-cookies, so to speak?

Anyway, after I uninstalled Cookie Culler, I threw out cookies.squlite and cookies.squlite-journal for the 3rd time (sigh) and the weird cookies are still there. Oddly, they're all set to expire exactly 1/1/3000 12 AM. Sounds like they were all sent from the exact same place. Guess I'll post back at Mozillazine.

Thanks.

Re: Strange and disgusting cookie problem

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 10:06 pm
by Giorgio Maone
Might them be Flash cookies?
You may want to try https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6623

Re: Strange and disgusting cookie problem

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 10:21 pm
by roparr2
Flash Cookies are stored elsewhere and look different. These are the names of ad companies. thanks.

Re: Strange and disgusting cookie problem

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 10:32 pm
by Giorgio Maone
Have you got any controversial extension installed lately?

Re: Strange and disgusting cookie problem

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 10:40 pm
by roparr2
Just figured it out. I forgot i had installed TACO. Those are permanent opt-out cookies for 90 ad sites. :oops:

Re: Strange and disgusting cookie problem

Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 1:38 am
by therube
(What is TACO, you ask? This Firefox add-on sets a number of permanent, generic, non personally identifiable opt-out cookies in the browser, which will prevent 90 different online advertising networks from subjecting users to behavioral advertising (and in some cases, will stop the networks from being able to track users' web browsing habits too).)