155573 - A cookie that appear to slow Netscape browsers down

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 155571

(Core :: Networking: Cookies, defect)

Description

[Glenn Moeller-Holst]

I have been a Mozilla user for some months now, and I have the experience that 
Mozilla browsers are quick.

But for the months or so I have encountered a special kind of cookie, that appear 
to slow Mozilla(and Netscape) browsers down. I have sent a separate bug report to 
http://help.netscape.com/ .

In the rest of this description, I will give you the information, I have 
collected information about the cookie in question.

with kind regards,

Glenn Moeller-Holst

--

Problem
For now I have just found the cookie problem on Apple MacOS 8.6-9. I have not 
looked in cookie-files on Microsoft Windows or Linux OS's.

E.g. with Netscape 6.22 I have experienced that the browser stand still or breaks 
down, when I try to quit Netscape. The cause might be this Cookie:
***
kcookie.netscape.com	FALSE	/	FALSE	4294967295	kcookie	<script>self.close()</
script><script>do{}while(true)</script>
***

Please note: The DNS-name "kcookie.netscape.com" does not exist.

In Netscape 4.77 it got the browser to stand still.

--

Removal of the problem symptom
*Quit Mozilla. Eventually restart the computer to make sure, that Mozilla does 
not overwrite the Cookie-file later.

*Find all Cookie-files og delete lines containing: "kcookie.netscape.com...". The 
cookie in question, are nearly always at the top of the file.

--

I have tried to insert the "kcookie.netscape.com..."-cookie again to test, if the 
problem reappears, it does not. So something else must be involved, but I do not 
know what.

On two distinct 2 computers, the problem was solved be removing the 
"kcookie.netscape.com..."-cookie.

--

Cookie file "cookie.txt" eller "MagicCookie":
"
# Netscape HTTP Cookie File
# http://www.netscape.com/newsref/std/cookie_spec.html
# This is a generated file!  Do not edit.

kcookie.netscape.com	FALSE	/	FALSE	4294967295	kcookie	<script>self.close()</
script><script>do{}while(true)</script>
..."

--

By searching on the internet:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=da&sa=G&q=%22kcookie.netscape.%2Bcom%22
This was found:

http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/sf/www-mobile/2001-q2/0030.html
http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:archives.neohapsis.com/archives/sf/www-
mobile/2001-q2/0030.html
"...
From: Ric Steinberger ([e-mail])
Date: Sun Apr 22 2001 - 12:41:52 CDT
...
There's a 'nasty' little cookie from kcookie.netscape.com that always shows up in 
a Netscape cookie folder, regardless of whether you ever visit the Netscape site
..."

--

The cookie "kcookie.netscape.com..." is also found here:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/jscript4/errata/jscript4.unconfirmed
http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:www.oreilly.com/catalog/jscript4/errata/
jscript4.unconfirmed
"...
The code works by itself.  I notice that when you mix javaScript code with 
vbscript code in a .asp page there are some funny results.  Below is the results 
I found.
...
kcookie.netscape.com    FALSE   /       FALSE   4294967295      kcookie <script>
location="."</script><script>do{}while(true)</script>
w2d059  FALSE   /       FALSE   1012228498      myvar  var2=vbexpl2:undefined&
var1=vbexpl1:undefined&var1:jsexpl1&var2:jsexpl2
..."

Comment 1

[Olivier Cahagne]

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 155571 ***

Comment 2

[Mitchell Stoltz (not reading bugmail)]

As reported in bug 155571, kcookie.netscape.com is not a real site. It's a
fictitious cookie that was automatically added to the cookie file in NS 4.x to
prevent certain attacks against the cookie file. It contains no user information
and is never sent anywhere.