1. What are cookies?
A cookie is a small file, made up of letters and numbers, that will be stored on a user's computer, mobile terminal or other equipment from which the Internet is accessed. The cookie is installed by the request issued by the user's terminal to a server or to a third-party server.
2. What are cookies used for?
These files mainly make it possible to recognize the user's terminal and present the content in a relevant way, adapted to the user's preferences.
Cookies ensure a pleasant browsing experience for users and support efforts to provide more tailored services to users, e.g.: – online privacy preferences, shopping cart or relevant advertising. They are also used in the preparation of aggregate anonymous statistics that help us understand how a user benefits from our Internet pages, allowing us to improve their structure and content, without allowing the user to be personally identified.
3. What cookies do we use?
We use two types of cookies: per session and persistent. Session cookies are temporary files that remain in the user's terminal until the session ends or the application is closed. Fixed cookies remain on the user's terminal for a period determined by the cookie parameters or until they are manually deleted by the user.
4. How are cookies used by this site?
A visit to this website may place the following types of cookies:
• cookies strictly necessary for the operation of the website
• analysis cookies
Strictly necessary cookies and/or similar technologies are essential for the proper functioning of the site, being set on your device when accessing the site or following actions performed on the site, as the case may be. You can set your browser to block cookies, but in this case certain sections of the website will not work properly.
5. Do cookies or similar technologies contain personal data?
Cookies or similar technologies themselves do not require personal information to be used and, in many cases, do not personally identify Internet users. However, there are situations when personal data can be collected through the use of cookies to facilitate certain functionalities for the user or to offer the user an experience more adapted to his preferences. Such data is encrypted in a way that makes it impossible for unauthorized persons to access it.
6. Security and Privacy Issues
Cookies are NOT viruses! They use plain text formats. They are not made up of pieces of code so they cannot be executed or autorun. Consequently, they cannot be duplicated or replicated to other networks to run or replicate again. Since they cannot perform these functions, they cannot be considered viruses.
Cookies can still be used for negative purposes. Because they store information about users' preferences and browsing history, both on a particular site and across multiple sites, cookies can be used as a form of Spyware. Many anti-spyware products are aware of this fact and constantly mark cookies for deletion during anti-virus/anti-spyware deletion/scanning procedures.
In general, browsers have integrated privacy settings that provide different levels of cookie acceptance, validity period and automatic deletion after the user has visited a certain site.
Other security aspects related to cookies:
Since identity protection is very valuable and is the right of every Internet user, it is advisable to know what possible problems cookies can create. Because through them information is constantly transmitted in both directions between the browser and the website, if an attacker or unauthorized person intervenes during the data transmission, the information contained in the cookie can be intercepted.
Although very rare, this can happen if the browser connects to the server using an unencrypted network (e.g. an unsecured WiFi network).
Other cookie-based attacks involve missetting cookies on servers. If a website does not require the browser to use only encrypted channels, attackers can use this vulnerability to trick browsers into sending information over unsecured channels. Attackers then use the information to gain unauthorized access to certain websites. It is very important to be careful in choosing the most suitable method of personal information protection.
7. Blocking cookies
If you want to block cookies, all modern browsers offer the possibility to change cookie settings. These settings are usually found in the "options" or "preferences" menu of your browser.
To understand these settings, the following links may be useful, otherwise you can use the "help" option of your browser for more details.
Cookies in Internet Explorer
Cookies in Mozilla Firefox
Cookies in Google Chrome
Cookies in Safari
Cookies in Opera
However, we would like to mention that some functionality of the website will be stopped, and this may generate certain malfunctions or errors in the use of our website.
8. Tips for safe and responsible browsing, based on cookies.
Due to their flexibility and the fact that most of the most visited and largest sites use cookies, they are almost unavoidable. Disabling cookies will not allow the user access to the most widespread and used sites including Youtube, Gmail, Yahoo and others.
Here are some tips that can ensure that you browse without worries but with the help of cookies:
– Customize your browser cookie settings to reflect a comfortable level of cookie security for you.
– If you don't mind cookies and you are the only person using the computer, you can set long expiration periods for storing browsing history and personal access data.
– If you share computer access, you may consider setting your browser to delete individual browsing data each time you close the browser. This is a variant to access the sites that place cookies and to delete any visiting information when closing the browsing session.
– Install and constantly update anti spyware applications.
Many spyware detection and prevention applications include detection of site attacks. Thus, it prevents the browser from accessing websites that could exploit browser vulnerabilities or download dangerous software.
Make sure your browser is always up to date.
Many of the attacks based on cookies are carried out by exploiting the weak points of the old versions of the browsers.
Cookies are everywhere and cannot be avoided if you want to enjoy access to the best and biggest sites on the Internet - local or international. With a clear understanding of how they work and the benefits they bring, you can take the necessary security measures so that you can surf the Internet with confidence.
Disabling and refusing to receive cookies may make certain websites impractical or difficult to visit and use. Also, refusing to accept cookies does not mean that you will no longer receive/see online advertising.
It is possible to set the browser so that these cookies are no longer accepted or you can set the browser to accept cookies from a specific site. But, for example, if you are not registered using cookies, you will not be able to leave comments
If you are interested in learning more about cookies, we recommend the following website: www.allaboutcookies.org