Whenever you browse the Internet, your device leaves what is known as a digital footprint. It is the combination of different factors, which allows that equipment to identify itself on the network. For example, we may name unique features such as your hardware configuration, what software you have installed, your browser, and other data. All this will allow the device to have a unique identifier and will also allow a personalized user experience. Now, what if cybercriminals steal that fingerprint? We will tell you what they can do.
A web page, for example, can use that fingerprint in a legitimate way. It can show you a setting based on your previous browsing, for example. It can even serve to improve security, since it would allow suspicious activities to be detected. But what can help protect us could turn against us.
How they steal the fingerprint
But what can hackers do to steal that digital footprint and compromise our privacy? They could use different methods, such as the use of HTTP headers. This serves to identify the device, such as through browser details, the operating system it uses, etc. This is useful for a website to show its page adapted to that device that we use, for example. But hackers could actually steal those HTTP headers.
They could also steal that information by running malicious scripts on the device. They will obtain information of all kinds, such as the time zone, the battery level of the equipment, the screen resolution that we have configured or even the movements of the mouse. Please note that web pages may use JavaScript to collect this data.
They can even exploit extensions and add-ons that we have installed in the browser. They could use them to get to all that information that we’ve shown. After all, they can store a lot of data from our browsing and expose our privacy.
All this they can achieve if they exploit vulnerabilities. There may be a bug in an extension that you have installed in Chrome, for example. Also some system vulnerability that allows a virus to slip through. In addition, it could happen that this failure is in a web page that we use.
protect yourself
It is very important that you protect yourself whenever you browse the Internet. Something essential is to have the devices updated. We have seen that they can exploit security flaws and vulnerabilities. Therefore, always have the latest version of the browser, the system and any program you have installed.
It is also a good idea to have a good security program. A guaranteed antivirus can help you detect threats. It is capable of eliminating potentially dangerous files that you can download by mistake. For example, Microsoft Defender, Avast or Bitdefender are some options.
But maintaining privacy when browsing will be essential so that your fingerprint is not stolen. We recommend using a VPN to use public Wi-Fi networks. For example, you can use surfshark either NordVPN. In addition, you could set the browser to private mode and avoid exposing information.
In short, as you can see, they can steal the fingerprint of your equipment. It is key to take measures to improve security and privacy. It is necessary to prevent them from supplanting your identity and having problems that affect your day to day. Just as you can hide and protect folders, you could also do it with information on the Internet.
