WinPatrol interferes with P3P implementation

This is to inform people interested in P3P policy implementation on websites 
that the WinPatrol WatchDog, an application available for download at 
http://www.winpatrol.com aimed to increase the security on common users' 
PCs, interferes with P3P policies implementations in the following way: 
cookies saved by websites having a validated P3P policy implemented are 
accepted by the web browser (i.e. MS IE6) and correctly stored in the user's 
PC, but every 8 minutes (by deafult setting) the WatchDog removes them.
As consequence the website has the expected behavior for 8 minutes, after 
that the website stops working not having the needed cookies available on 
the user's PC.
Please note not all cookies are deleted by the WatchDog, being the exact 
criteria undefined. As example, consider that the ForumGratis 
(www.forumgratis.it) and Microsoft (www.microsoft.com) cookies pass the 
WatchDog's exam, while A.C.R.S. Giochi a 5 (www.giochia5.it) cookie does not 
pass it, even if all mentioned websites have a validated P3P policy 
implementation.
There is nothing developers can do to fix the problem, on the other side 
users can uninstall the WatchDog solving in this way all problems. Please 
note that disabling the resident control of cookies in the WatchDog is not 
enough, the application has to be completely uninstalled (or scanned in 
details to check to see which are the several parts that interferes with the 
P3P implementation).
Please note these information are valid at the date of today June 11, 2005. 
A post has been placed on the WinPatrol forum to inform its developers about 
this problem, reading there you will know when the problem will be fixed.

Mirco Soderi
m.soderi@aliceposta.it

Received on Sunday, 12 June 2005 03:31:42 UTC