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storing unique ID on user's machines
Posted on 2011-03-03
I know on some sites even with EE that even though I delete my cookies, my login information still gets populated in the login fields. Is that information being stored in something other than cookies and is there a way to store a single ID string on a visitor's machine other than a cookie when a user visits a site? Something that would work across all the major browsers and where they user is not entering in field data? in the registry perhaps or would that require an Active X action?
How about storing in php session versus storing in cookie?
I also host my sites and control the server session.
Any ideas experts?
How about storing in php session versus storing in cookie?
I also host my sites and control the server session.
Any ideas experts?
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23 Comments
...my login information still gets populated in the login fields...
The login fields are populated by the browser. This feature is browser based and is determined by the user.. The browser asks you if you want to save your details, if you agree, the browser will save the details. You (as the developer) do not have access to these user/passwords.
I'm sure cookies are the best way of storing persistent user information (seeing that the major sites use cookies).
I dont think you will have access to the registry (security).
The login fields are populated by the browser. This feature is browser based and is determined by the user.. The browser asks you if you want to save your details, if you agree, the browser will save the details. You (as the developer) do not have access to these user/passwords.
I'm sure cookies are the best way of storing persistent user information (seeing that the major sites use cookies).
I dont think you will have access to the registry (security).
You could store information against the visitors IP address, in the same way that some sites ban people by their IP address. However the IP address is not guaranteed to be unique. It depends on the information you keep. If the information doesn't need to be secure then using the IP address will work most of the time.
Active 4 days ago
satsumo, that's a good idea on the ip. how about the mac address on the user's machine?
I don't think there is anyway to get the MAC address with HTTP, or any other common protocol. Besides the connection comes through the ISP, you'd probably end up with the MAC address of the network card in the ISP's server and thats unlikely to be the same twice. The server will have an IP address for each connection and most people will connect with a consistent IP address.
Ask the visitor to identify herself, store the user id/password in a database, then hash and encrypt that information (with AES? Blowfish?) and create a unique token. That becomes the ID for that visitor.
Active 4 days ago
yes, but what if the user deletes his cookies from his browser? then that ID is lost. What about keeping the browser session open on that visitor?
If you don't persist the token and the user deletes her cookies, how will you re-evaluate the user?
Somehow, somewhere, you'll have to persist the value, methinks.
Somehow, somewhere, you'll have to persist the value, methinks.
This is one of the hot topics of the internet at the moment. How do you reliably identify people without making them login and have lots of separate accounts everywhere?
Another possiblity is using another site to identify the person. Many sites talk to Facebook and Twitter, there are ID schemes managed by Microsoft, Yahoo, OpenID and others. I don't know how it works, and again it won't cover everybody. Maybe it would be worth checking out.
I read recently that about 50% of the population of the UK is on Facebook. I don't know what proportion of the UK's internet users that is. Still, not everybody has a Facebook page, and using the IP address might be more reliable.
Another possiblity is using another site to identify the person. Many sites talk to Facebook and Twitter, there are ID schemes managed by Microsoft, Yahoo, OpenID and others. I don't know how it works, and again it won't cover everybody. Maybe it would be worth checking out.
I read recently that about 50% of the population of the UK is on Facebook. I don't know what proportion of the UK's internet users that is. Still, not everybody has a Facebook page, and using the IP address might be more reliable.
Active 4 days ago
good point. I could store both the ip from the user's machine and drop a cookie and store that unique id on the server. so everytime the user comes to the site, I do two things..
1) verify the cookie still exists
2) verify that the ip hasn't changed
If the ip hasn't changed but the cookie was removed, I can re-attached the cookie based on the unique ip. If the ip was changed (dhcp), then update the record in the db for both the cookie data and ip data.
If both cookie was removed and ip changed, I'm screwed :)
1) verify the cookie still exists
2) verify that the ip hasn't changed
If the ip hasn't changed but the cookie was removed, I can re-attached the cookie based on the unique ip. If the ip was changed (dhcp), then update the record in the db for both the cookie data and ip data.
If both cookie was removed and ip changed, I'm screwed :)
You cannot get around the fact that somewhere the user has logged into a website.
Whether or not it is your site is the issue: why are you set against it?
Whether or not it is your site is the issue: why are you set against it?
Active 4 days ago
Badotz, I'm not following. I don't mind the user logging into my site and I'll encourage it. If the user does not create a profile prior to leaving the site I want to make sure when they return they are seeing what they saw when they first arrived. make sense?
What you desire makes sense, but what you're doing does not. If the user leaves without identifying herself to you, how can you identify her when she returns?
This is not a monologue, it is a dialogue. Betty leaves something with you and from that you can always identify her.
Sorry, but what isn't clear?
This is not a monologue, it is a dialogue. Betty leaves something with you and from that you can always identify her.
Sorry, but what isn't clear?
Active 4 days ago
I understand your point. However, initially I'll need to identify with her machine. Finding out it's Betty at the keyboard is of course the goal.
@Badotz, checking against the database will resolve the token. COwebmaster dosen't want the user to have to type anything, and is concerned about identifying them if their IP changes or they delete their cookies. Using both a cookie and the IP address creates redundancy, if the user changes IP or deletes cookies, they can still be identified by the other method. Both token and IP would have to be stored in a database, because either might change.
You're relying on unreliables. The IP might change. The cookie might be deleted.
Perhaps your website offers support for a retinal scanner or fingerprint detector, or facial recognition - any of which could improve reliability.
The fact that your storing something in a database doesn't make if foolproof, unique or correct. How can you guarantee identification without knowing something permanent about Betty? Something private that only she knows?
Perhaps your website offers support for a retinal scanner or fingerprint detector, or facial recognition - any of which could improve reliability.
The fact that your storing something in a database doesn't make if foolproof, unique or correct. How can you guarantee identification without knowing something permanent about Betty? Something private that only she knows?
What if I am sitting at Betty's workstation? Will you "just know" that now I'm Betty? Where's the security in that?
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