Recognizing a device

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Recognizing a device

Banks can remember... how?

digitalv

2:18 pm on Dec 3, 2009 (gmt 0)

How can a script be made that allows a server to recognize a pc or smartphone like the banks do?

When I access for the first time from a computer they've never seen before it runs a couple of extra security questions, then remembers that pc forever - even if I clear my cookies, access from a different ip address or city, or even upgrade my browser. How are they doing this? Mac address? Some unique machine id?

How do I figure out this variable and get it into an asp script?

bill

8:48 am on Dec 4, 2009 (gmt 0)

That sounds like they're sharing a security certificate with you. The OS may be remembering the certificate.

kaled

11:04 am on Dec 4, 2009 (gmt 0)

Have you run proper tests? If yes, precisely what are the questions being asked?

I have never seen the behaviour you have described, but unless you install additional software, it's not possible to uniquely identify a computer via mac address etc.

Some years ago, this was a hot topic amongst privacy groups and from that followed the assurances that you frequently see that "no private or identifiable data will be sent" when a program wishes to connect to the internet after installation. (Of course, they ought to tell you precisely what data is sent but that's another subject altogether.)

Kaled.

Jonesy

6:51 pm on Dec 4, 2009 (gmt 0)

They are probably guessing from inspection of the User Agent of the first GET request. And, 'they' oft times GET it wrong. E.g., going to Facebook - using just their bare domain name - with an older konqueror browser here -- returns their mobile page. (Which was a Very Useful discovery -- since my 'use' of Facebook only has need of such a stripped-down UI on any browser...)

Jonesy