ignore cookies list

[Amethyst]

I have Immunizer on, updated it after installing Spybot updates today. I am using Firefox.

Since running Immunizer, I have done full scans every day at the end of the day, and no tracking cookies have been found. I ran a scan just now and it said no problems were found.

I'm still learning about Spybot and I went to have a look at the 'ignore cookies' feature. I don't really want to delete any cookies (unless they are tracking cookies, of course), and I don't have any on the list set to 'ignore'. I see that some of the cookies listed in Firefox are written in red. What does that mean? And if they are a problem, why wouldn't Spybot find them on a scan?

[Tom.K]

I see that some of the cookies listed in Firefox are written in red. What does that mean? And if they are a problem, why wouldn't Spybot find them on a scan?

The cookies written in red are tracking cookies. Spybot ignores scanning checked cookies in "Ignore Cookies" feature. If you want to scan all cookies, go to "Ignore Cookies" feature and uncheck all cookies. Then Spybot can scan those cookies.

[drragostea]

Are you using the latest version of Spybot? (1.5.2.20).

Actually there is a easier way. Go to ADVANCED MODE under MODE. Go to the SETTINGS tab and click on "File Sets". When you install Spybot 1.5.2, the USER TRACKAGE is disabled by default.

Click on "User Tracking" and "tracks.uti".

Spybot will now detect cookies in future scans.

In my opinion, tracking cookies are not considered malicious. They simply offer to remember passwords, while some track "web browsing" history. I simply clear all the cache and cookies after each browser session.

--Eric.

[Amethyst]

drragostea,

Thanks for your reply.

I do have the latest version of spybot.

None of the cookies on the ignore cookies list are checked, nor have they ever been.
I still have a total of 6 items there on that ignore cookies list, unchecked and in red. One is an atdmt tracking cookie, the other 5 are advertising.com with various extensions.

I don't want to disable all usage tracks. I would just like spybot to show me those tracking cookies when it scans the way it used to (before I turned on Immunizer) and thus give me the option of deleting them. Now, whenever I scan, it always tells me no problems are detected.

I'll try undoing the immunizer and see if it picks up the tracking cookies.

I don't know, just grabbing at straws at this point. It's almost like Spybot is simply not scanning for cookies anymore. In any case, something doesn't seem to be working correctly in regard to ignoring cookies, since Spybot is ignoring tracking cookies and I haven't told it to do so.

Maybe one of the Spybot team can address this.

Thanks.

[Amethyst]

I used 'undo' to un-immunize and then ran another spybot scan. Still no cookies found. (I've re-enabled the immunizer.)

On the 'ignore cookies list', still the same list of cookies stored on my hard drive, still 6 of them printed in red. The red indicates bad guys, yet scans say the computer is clean. I have no checks to ignore any of the cookies, never did. In the 'File Sets', I have checks in everything except usage tracks. I have never had checks in the usage tracks and spybot was finding the tracking cookies before I turned immunizer on. It appears I have some tracking cookies stored on my hard drive and spybot identifies them as such by printing their names in red on a list of cookies, but scans don't find them. So either the red is wrong or the scanner has a problem, perhaps.

That's all I'm going to tinker with it until I hear back from someone.

If I put checks in the user tracking, would it come up with a bunch of registry stuff plus listing ALL the cookies? (I don't want that, which is also why I don't want to mess with it until I know more about it.)

Maybe I'll just go into the browser and manually delete those cookies and see if they come back.

Thanks!

[md usa spybot fan]

Amethyst:

Go into Spybot > Mode > Advanced mode > Settings > File Sets. Make sure that the following Set/Filename is checked:

• Cookies.sbi

Go into Spybot > Mode > Advanced mode > Settings > Ignore cookies. Make sure none of the red cookies are checked.

Run another scan.

[Amethyst]

Hello md,

I'm sorry I took so long getting back to you on this. By the time I read your reply, I had already manually deleted the cookies in Firefox and I checked daily to see if anymore came back. Yesterday, there were finally 3 of them in red on the 'ignore cookies' list. No checks in ANY of the cookies boxes whatsoever. I have never had checks in those boxes. Anyway, I read your reply and was thinking 'usage tracks', and I finally got around to trying THAT.

I have always had a checkmark in the 'cookies.sbi' box. I ran a scan with a check in the 'usage tracks' boxes as well.

The situation remains the same. Spybot is not finding tracking cookies when I scan. Usage tracks are found and listed in green. Actually, a couple of cookies from IE were listed there in the list of usage tracks, but absolutely NOTHING for Firefox.

Again, there are many, many cookies listed in the 'ignore cookies' list. I have no checks in any boxes. Three in Firefox are listed in red, not being found during scans.

I just had a brainwave, however. I upgraded Firefox on June 5, which is the day I started this thread. I am using Firefox 2.0.0.14. (There are many complaints about Firefox 3.0, so I'm in no rush to upgrade to that one just yet. I'm getting a laptop tomorrow, and, to be honest, I am planning on putting Opera on that one just to try it out.) Any record of Spybot not finding cookies in this version of Firefox 2.0.0.14, or if Spybot losing its ability to find Firefox cookies after an upgrade? I don't use IE that often, only if I am having problems loading a site in Firefox or I need ActiveX for something.

Is my Spybot broken? If it's missing tracking cookies even though I have a check in that box, this makes me wonder what else, if anything, it might be missing.

That's Spybot 1.5.2

[md usa spybot fan]

Amethyst:

I don't use Firefox so I don't know if there a problem specifically related with finding tracking cookies in Firefox.

With Internet Explorer:

1. If a cookie is listed in red in the "Ignore cookies" facility and you do not check it to exclude it.
2. The "Cookies.sbi" is checked in "File Sets".

Then a "Check for problems" will find that cookie.

[Amethyst]

md said:

"I don't use Firefox so I don't know if there a problem specifically related with finding tracking cookies in Firefox.

With Internet Explorer:

1. If a cookie is listed in red in the "Ignore cookies" facility and you do not check it to exclude it.
2. The "Cookies.sbi" is checked in "File Sets".

Then a "Check for problems" will find that cookie."


Well, that used to work for me in Firefox, but as of June 5/08, it no longer does. (I don't have any red listed cookies in my IE list.) Maybe Spybot doesn't like the version of Firefox (2.0.0.14) I'm using, I don't know. And since I see there's a Spybot 1.6 out now, I don't suppose anyone will be working on fixing any issues in 1.5, just as the Firefox developers aren't going to work on any Firefox 2.x versions anymore. I'll delete the cookies manually for now until everyone gives these new versions of both programs time to sort out their various bugs and issues (and I see from reading the forums that there are a few in both Firefox 3 and Spybot 1.6. ). AVG Free (which I also use) is also going through their growing pains with version 8.0, and I am happily using 7.5 with no problems and letting AVG sort out THEIR problems. For now I'll make do with what I have, and I think I'm going to try using Opera in the shiny new Lenovo notebook that is now sitting here, waiting to be powered up for the first time. I guess I should first check and see how long their current version has been around.

I was lucky enough to find a new notebook with Windows XP...Service Pack 2! If it ain't broke, don't "fix" it is my motto. I don't enjoy fixing computers.

Thanks for your response.

[ght1]

When will we get a option to disable scanning for cookies? Yes, I still have disabled cookies.sbi.