Re: IE cookies assigned to RAM disk survive reboot

From: ian.cowanat_private
Date: Mon Nov 19 2001 - 07:27:17 PST

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    Try using the MOVE FOLDER button in IE SETTINGS (general tab) and point it
    to your RAMDRIVE - this way the registry will be changed for you...boot to
    dos, delete the temp internet folder completely (use deltree)...cold boot
    your pc and then do some surfing, your cookies should then only reside in
    the place you want..
    
    Also set cookies to automatic in above and set disk space as low as
    possible (usually 1Mb)
    
    Hope this helps.
    Ian
    
    
    
    
    
    "Thomas C. Greene" <tcgreeneat_private> on 18/11/2001 11:35:34
    
    To:   "Bugtraq" <bugtraqat_private>, <focus-msat_private>
    cc:
    
    Subject:  IE cookies assigned to RAM disk survive reboot
    
    
    
    I was playing with a Windows box running '98-SE, using a RAM disk for my
    temp & tmp dirs and browser cache for added security. I was quite surprised
    to find that my RAM drive 'remembered' all of my cookies between reboots,
    in
    spite of having gone into the registry to ensure, to the best of my
    ability,
    that the RAM disk would be my default cookie directory.
    
    Something's wrong. If you set your history option to zero days, nothing
    will
    be recorded. Fine, and that's an essential for security. But I can't
    prevent
    cookies from surviving boot to boot, and I've done more than just assign
    Temporary Internet Files to my RAM disk in IE setup.
    
    First, here's my autoexec.bat:
    @ECHO OFF
    XMSDSK 86352 G: /C1 /T /Y
    MD G:TEMP
    SET TMP=G:TEMP
    SET TEMP=G:TEMP
    
    And my swap file setup:
    PagingDrive=G:
    MinPagingFileSize=65536
    MaxPagingFileSize=65536
    
    I have IE set with the RAM disk [G:\] as my 'Temporary Internet Files'
    directory. But of course, there's a 'Cookies' subdirectory in the Windows
    directory, which retains them and which has to be dealt with.
    
    You'll find in the registry a key called Paths:
    
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet
    Settings\Cache\Paths
    
    Which, in spite of your IE setup, will include a value indicating that the
    cookie directory should be C:\Windows\Cookies.
    
    So of course I changed it to G:\Temporary Internet Files\Cookies.
    
    There is also a key called Special Paths:
    
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet
    Settings\Cache\Special Paths\Cookies
    
    With the Default Directory C:\Windows\Cookies
    
    Which, again, I changed to G:\Temporary Internet Files\Cookies.
    
    There is another key:
    
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ProfileReconcili
    
    ation\Cookies
    
    With the value: DefaultDir *windir\Cookies
    
    So changed DefaultDir to G:\Temporary Internet Files\Cookies as well.
    
    I deleted all cookies from C:\Windows\Cookies and G:\Temporary Internet
    Files\Cookies. I then booted into DOS and ran: del
    C:\Windows\Cookies\Index.dat.
    
    And then I started Windows and did some surfing. Then I rebooted. And when
    Windows started I found all the cookies from that surf session in the
    C:\Windows\Cookies directory *and* in the G:\Temporary Internet
    Files\Cookies RAM drive directory.
    
    I don't know how Windows is preserving these cookies. Any thoughts?
    
    ================
    Thomas C. Greene
    Washington Bureau Chief
    "The Register"
    mailto:thomas.greeneat_private
    http://www.theregister.co.uk
    



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