New Freeware: Flash Cookie Remover (Beta testers needed!)

Hi Guys,

So recently I started to investigate the problem with Flash cookies. For those of you who don't know, Flash cookies are just like normal web page cookies, only they are used by Flash applications. The problem is that Flash cookies are entirely separate from normal cookies, and there is no way to delete them from within your browser. This means that even if you delete all your browsing history and cookies, the Flash cookies will still show anyone who cares to look what sites you've been to.

If you want to read a bit more about Flash cookies I have a blog post about them here

Adobe's "Flash Settings Manager" does not properly remove Flash cookies. It only removes the cookie data - not information about which sites you have been to.

Therefore, I have created and released Flash Cookie Remover, a program which does exactly what you'd think - it removes Flash cookies.

The current version is 0.9 Beta. I'd love to get some people testing it and leave feedback on it. Currently tested and working on XP, Vista and Windows 7.

Download:

http://www.misec.net/products/FlashCookieRemover.exe

No installation needed - simply run the executable.

Product page:

http://www.misec.net/flash-cookie-remover/

 

Doesn't BetterPrivacy do exactly the same or is this better/different in any way?

 

As far as I know BetterPrivacy is only for Firefox users. This works no matter what browser you're using (or if you alternate between different browsers).

 

So can I use this with Opera and Betterprivacy with Firefox or does it work automatically for all installed browsers? (great that it works with other browsers btw, great improvement).

 

Flash cookies are shared between browsers, so if you use Internet Explorer it will create these cookies in the same location as if you use Firefox. Flash Cookie Remover removes them and is browser-independent, so no matter what browser you use it will work.

 

OK, thanks. I will give it a spin.

 

Betterprivacy also is browserindependent in the way that if you use f.i. Opera and you close it and then you open and close Firefox it has the same consequence as when you start FCR and then remove the cookie. The only difference is that BP deletes all the folders (#sharedobjects/random name/cookiefolder and FCR only deletes the latter (no issue of course). Furthermore the line in which you're told where the cookies are stored is too dark(blue), so you (I) can't read it. Conclusion: Works well, but I don't need it.

 

Thanks for the feedback. Will fix the color issue for the next release.

 

The advantages of betterprivacy is it's only in memory when Firefox is active, then automatically deletes the cookies on Firefox close.

This is currently the best solution, and plugins should be made for the other browsers. Running a separate program each time is tedious. Also, having it run constantly in the background for automation isn't as efficient as running only when the browser is run.

I don't know how broad the access/API of IE/Opera plugins is, but if you continued development this would be my suggestion.

Just my 2c.

 

Ill give it a spin.
nessy

 

Hi,

Many thanks for your soft. Seems to work like expected but shows empty folders site too.

Regards,

MaB

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but at first glance it doesn't do anything that CCleaner doesn't do.

As a very quick test, I visited a number of sites such as youtube and BBCiPlayer etc and checked the cookies were being listed by FCR v.0.9 Beta.

Then ran CCleaner and rechecked again with FCR and found that all those that were listed in FCR had now been removed by CCleaner.

 

R-Wipe&Clean has an option to wipe flash cookies. Is the functionality of the Flash Cookie Remover any different?

 

FWIW, a simple BAT file will nuke them all in Windows ...

CMD /C RD /Q /S C:\DOCUME~1\UUUUUU~1\APPLIC~1\MACROM~1\FLASHP~1\MACROM~1.COM\SUPPORT\FLASHP~1\SYS\
CMD /C MD C:\DOCUME~1\UUUUUU~1\APPLIC~1\MACROM~1\FLASHP~1\MACROM~1.COM\SUPPORT\FLASHP~1\SYS
CMD /C RD /Q /S C:\DOCUME~1\UUUUUU~1\APPLIC~1\MACROM~1\FLASHP~1\#SHARE~1\NNNNNNNN\
CMD /C MD C:\DOCUME~1\UUUUUU~1\APPLIC~1\MACROM~1\FLASHP~1\#SHARE~1\NNNNNNNN

... where UUUUUU~1 is the Windows user account, and NNNNNNNN is the Flash ID.

 

There are several options. I once tried a program, but it either didn't work or was malicious. I'm not sure.

CCleaner can remove those cookies.

See post #9 in:
https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=256771

That's how I do it.

What also helps is to tighten the Flash security settings (google flash security settings) as much as possible, even lower the amount of available space for cookies to zero. That's how I do it, and I rarely get Flash cookies on my IE 7 Windows XP system.

Well, my bank manages to plant one, that may have something to do with the https:// connection.

 

I manually over write them with Eraser.

 

I have released a new version, 0.91 Beta, of Flash Cookie Remover. This version adds an interesting new feature: Disabling the creation of Flash cookies. Basically, once you press the "Disable Cookies" button in the program and answer Yes to the confirmation question, all your Flash cookies will be deleted, and the creation of new Flash cookies will be blocked.

This should be useful for those who do not Flash cookies to be created at all. Also, as far as I know, no other program currently has this feature.

Download:

http://www.misec.net/products/FlashCookieRemover.exe

 

Here is a screenshot of version 0.91:

 

Hi Magnus, maybe you can add an option to wipe, overwriting with zero's or random pattern.

 

If you are that concerned about Flash cookies then you should disable them completely using the latest version of FCR. No need to wipe anything that can't get created in the first place.

 

True. Seemed I missed that you added that function to block them altogether

You can do the same at Adobe and deal with local shared objects with the settings manager setting storage to zero or untick allow box, you can also delete them there as well.

 

think quero toolbar can block all cookies-flash too

 

Wherever I click I get "More than one dir found" and that's all that happens.

Does that mean that this utility can't wipe flash cookies if there is more than one flash directory?

 

Why not just add something like this to the CCleaner Include?

C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Macromedia\Flash Player\*.*

It works for me.

SourMilk out

 

It says "unable to locate flash cookie directory". Is this just because I do not currently have any flash cookies? Or might it have something to do with my Vista 64 bit OS? Anyway, I do use betterprivacy and I do have Flash Cookie Cleaner, but I will be more than happy to add yours to my collection as well.