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'''Evercookie''' (also known as supercookie<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Bujlow|first1=Tomasz|last2=Carela-Espanol|first2=Valentin|last3=Lee|first3=Beom-Ryeol|last4=Barlet-Ros|first4=Pere|date=2017|title=A Survey on Web Tracking: Mechanisms, Implications, and Defenses|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/jproc.2016.2637878|journal=Proceedings of the IEEE|volume=105|issue=8|pages=1476–1510|doi=10.1109/jproc.2016.2637878|hdl=2117/108437|s2cid=2662250|issn=0018-9219|via=}}</ref>) is a JavaScipt code that identifies and reproduces intentionally deleted cookies on the clients' browser storage.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Acar|first1=Gunes|last2=Eubank|first2=Christian|last3=Englehardt|first3=Steven|last4=Juarez|first4=Marc|last5=Narayanan|first5=Arvind|last6=Diaz|first6=Claudia|date=2014|title=The Web Never Forgets|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2660267.2660347|journal=Proceedings of the 2014 ACM SIGSAC Conference on Computer and Communications Security - CCS '14|pages=674–689|location=New York, New York, USA|publisher=ACM Press|doi=10.1145/2660267.2660347|isbn=978-1-4503-2957-6|s2cid=8127620}}</ref> Websites that have adopted this mechanism can identify users even if they attempt to delete the previously stored cookies.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last1=Kramár|first1=Tomáš|last2=Barla|first2=Michal|last3=Bieliková|first3=Mária|date=2013-02-01|title=Personalizing search using socially enhanced interest model, built from the stream of user's activity|url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.5555/2481562.2481565|journal=Journal of Web Engineering|volume=12|issue=1–2|pages=65–92|issn=1540-9589}}</ref> It was created by [[Samy Kamkar]] in 2010 to demonstrate the possible infiltration from the websites that use respawning. <ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bashir|first1=Muhammad Ahmad|last2=Wilson|first2=Christo|date=2018-10-01|title=Diffusion of User Tracking Data in the Online Advertising Ecosystem|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/popets-2018-0033|journal=Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies|volume=2018|issue=4|pages=85–103|doi=10.1515/popets-2018-0033|s2cid=52088002|issn=2299-0984}}</ref>
'''Evercookie''' (also known as supercookie<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Bujlow|first1=Tomasz|last2=Carela-Espanol|first2=Valentin|last3=Lee|first3=Beom-Ryeol|last4=Barlet-Ros|first4=Pere|date=2017|title=A Survey on Web Tracking: Mechanisms, Implications, and Defenses|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/jproc.2016.2637878|journal=Proceedings of the IEEE|volume=105|issue=8|pages=1476–1510|doi=10.1109/jproc.2016.2637878|hdl=2117/108437|s2cid=2662250|issn=0018-9219|via=}}</ref>) is a JavaScipt code that identifies and reproduces intentionally deleted cookies on the clients' browser storage.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Acar|first1=Gunes|last2=Eubank|first2=Christian|last3=Englehardt|first3=Steven|last4=Juarez|first4=Marc|last5=Narayanan|first5=Arvind|last6=Diaz|first6=Claudia|date=2014|title=The Web Never Forgets|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2660267.2660347|journal=Proceedings of the 2014 ACM SIGSAC Conference on Computer and Communications Security - CCS '14|pages=674–689|location=New York, New York, USA|publisher=ACM Press|doi=10.1145/2660267.2660347|isbn=978-1-4503-2957-6|s2cid=8127620}}</ref> Websites that have adopted this mechanism can identify users even if they attempt to delete the previously stored cookies.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last1=Kramár|first1=Tomáš|last2=Barla|first2=Michal|last3=Bieliková|first3=Mária|date=2013-02-01|title=Personalizing search using socially enhanced interest model, built from the stream of user's activity|url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.5555/2481562.2481565|journal=Journal of Web Engineering|volume=12|issue=1–2|pages=65–92|issn=1540-9589}}</ref> It was created by [[Samy Kamkar]] in 2010 to demonstrate the possible infiltration from the websites that use respawning. <ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bashir|first1=Muhammad Ahmad|last2=Wilson|first2=Christo|date=2018-10-01|title=Diffusion of User Tracking Data in the Online Advertising Ecosystem|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/popets-2018-0033|journal=Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies|volume=2018|issue=4|pages=85–103|doi=10.1515/popets-2018-0033|s2cid=52088002|issn=2299-0984}}</ref>


In 2013, [[Edward Snowden]] leaked a top-secret [[National Security Agency|NSA]] document, citing evercookie is used to track [[Tor (anonymity network)|Tor]] (anonymity networks) users.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Kobusińska|first1=Anna|last2=Pawluczuk|first2=Kamil|last3=Brzeziński|first3=Jerzy|date=2018|title=Big Data fingerprinting information analytics for sustainability|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2017.12.061|journal=Future Generation Computer Systems|volume=86|pages=1321–1337|doi=10.1016/j.future.2017.12.061|issn=0167-739X|via=}}</ref> Many popular companies use evercookie mechanism to collect user information. <ref name=":0" /> Researches on fingerprinting and search engines also draw inspiration on evercookie's persistency. <ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" />
In 2013, [[Edward Snowden]] leaked a top-secret [[National Security Agency|NSA]] document that showed Evercookie can track [[Tor (anonymity network)|Tor]] (anonymity networks) users.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Kobusińska|first1=Anna|last2=Pawluczuk|first2=Kamil|last3=Brzeziński|first3=Jerzy|date=2018|title=Big Data fingerprinting information analytics for sustainability|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2017.12.061|journal=Future Generation Computer Systems|volume=86|pages=1321–1337|doi=10.1016/j.future.2017.12.061|issn=0167-739X|via=}}</ref> Many popular companies use functionality similar to Evercookie to collect user information and track users. <ref name=":0" /> Further research on fingerprinting and search engines also draws inspiration from Evercookie's ability to persistently track a user. <ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" />


==Background==
==Background==

Revision as of 00:48, 13 November 2020

'Tor Stinks' NSA presentation

Evercookie (also known as supercookie[1]) is a JavaScipt code that identifies and reproduces intentionally deleted cookies on the clients' browser storage.[2] Websites that have adopted this mechanism can identify users even if they attempt to delete the previously stored cookies.[3] It was created by Samy Kamkar in 2010 to demonstrate the possible infiltration from the websites that use respawning. [4]

In 2013, Edward Snowden leaked a top-secret NSA document that showed Evercookie can track Tor (anonymity networks) users.[5] Many popular companies use functionality similar to Evercookie to collect user information and track users. [1] Further research on fingerprinting and search engines also draws inspiration from Evercookie's ability to persistently track a user. [3][5]

Background

A traditional HTTP cookie is a relatively small amount of textual data that is stored by the user's browser. Cookies can be used to save preferences and login session information; however, they can also be employed to track users for marketing purposes. Due to concerns over privacy, all major browsers include mechanisms for deleting and/or refusing to accept cookies from websites.

Adobe Systems claimed that the size restrictions, likelihood of eventual deletion, and simple textual nature of traditional cookies motivated it to add the local shared object (LSO) mechanism to the Adobe Flash Player.[6] While Adobe has published a mechanism for deleting LSO cookies (which can store 100 KB of data per website, by default),[7] it has met with some criticism from security and privacy experts.[8] Since version 4, Firefox has treated LSO cookies the same way as traditional HTTP cookies, so they can be deleted together.[9][10]

Description

Samy Kamkar released v0.4 beta of the Evercookie on September 13, 2010, as open source.[11][12][13] According to the project's website:

Evercookie is designed to make persistent data just that, persistent. By storing the same data in several locations that a client can access, if any of the data is ever lost (for example, by clearing cookies), the data can be recovered and then reset and reused.

Simply think of it as cookies that just won't go away.

Evercookie is a javascript API available that produces extremely persistent cookies in a browser. Its goal is to identify a client even after they've removed standard cookies, Flash cookies (Local Shared Objects or LSOs), and others.

Evercookie accomplishes this by storing the cookie data in several types of storage mechanisms that are available on the local browser. Additionally, if Evercookie has found the user has removed any of the types of cookies in question, it recreates them using each mechanism available.

An Evercookie is not merely difficult to delete ⁠— ⁠it actively "resists" deletion by copying itself in different forms on the user's machine and resurrecting itself if it notices that some of the copies are missing or expired.[14] Specifically, when creating a new cookie, Evercookie uses the following storage mechanisms when available:

The developer is looking to add the following features, among others:[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Bujlow, Tomasz; Carela-Espanol, Valentin; Lee, Beom-Ryeol; Barlet-Ros, Pere (2017). "A Survey on Web Tracking: Mechanisms, Implications, and Defenses". Proceedings of the IEEE. 105 (8): 1476–1510. doi:10.1109/jproc.2016.2637878. hdl:2117/108437. ISSN 0018-9219. S2CID 2662250.
  2. ^ Acar, Gunes; Eubank, Christian; Englehardt, Steven; Juarez, Marc; Narayanan, Arvind; Diaz, Claudia (2014). "The Web Never Forgets". Proceedings of the 2014 ACM SIGSAC Conference on Computer and Communications Security - CCS '14. New York, New York, USA: ACM Press: 674–689. doi:10.1145/2660267.2660347. ISBN 978-1-4503-2957-6. S2CID 8127620.
  3. ^ a b Kramár, Tomáš; Barla, Michal; Bieliková, Mária (2013-02-01). "Personalizing search using socially enhanced interest model, built from the stream of user's activity". Journal of Web Engineering. 12 (1–2): 65–92. ISSN 1540-9589.
  4. ^ Bashir, Muhammad Ahmad; Wilson, Christo (2018-10-01). "Diffusion of User Tracking Data in the Online Advertising Ecosystem". Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies. 2018 (4): 85–103. doi:10.1515/popets-2018-0033. ISSN 2299-0984. S2CID 52088002.
  5. ^ a b Kobusińska, Anna; Pawluczuk, Kamil; Brzeziński, Jerzy (2018). "Big Data fingerprinting information analytics for sustainability". Future Generation Computer Systems. 86: 1321–1337. doi:10.1016/j.future.2017.12.061. ISSN 0167-739X.
  6. ^ "What are local shared objects?". Archived from the original on 2010-05-29.
  7. ^ "How to manage and disable Local Shared Objects".
  8. ^ "Local Shared Objects -- 'Flash Cookies'".
  9. ^ Mike Beltzner (2011-01-13). "Bugzilla entry 625495 - Clear Adobe Flash Cookies (LSOs) when Clear Cookies is selected in the Privacy > Custom > Clear History". Retrieved 2011-09-28. Change to the "on close" firefox behavior to use the new NPAPI ClearSiteData API.
  10. ^ Mike Beltzner (2011-01-13). "Bugzilla entry 625496 - Clear Adobe Flash Cookies (LSOs) when Cookies is selected in Clear Recent History". Retrieved 2011-09-28. Change to the "clear recent history" firefox behavior to use the new NPAPI ClearSiteData API.
  11. ^ "Samy Kamkar - Evercookie".
  12. ^ "Evercookie source code". 2010-10-13. Retrieved 2010-10-28.
  13. ^ "Schneier on Security - Evercookies". 2010-09-23. Retrieved 2010-10-28.
  14. ^ "It is possible to kill the evercookie". 2010-10-27.
  15. ^ "samyk/evercookie". GitHub. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
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