Run Your First Cookie Scan

Discover and Categorize All Cookies on Your Website

Understanding Cookie Scanning

What the Scanner Does

Cookie Detection:

1. Automatically finds all cookies set by your website
2. Identifies first-party and third-party cookies
3. Detects cookies from embedded content (iframes, scripts)
4. Scans dynamic content loaded via AJAX

Cookie Analysis:

5. Determines cookie purpose and category
6. Identifies data retention periods
7. Flags potentially non-compliant cookies
8. Provides cookie management recommendations

Compliance Reporting:

9. Generates cookie inventory reports
10. Creates consent banner categories
11. Produces legal documentation updates
12. Tracks cookie changes over time

Prepare for Your First Scan


Step 1: Enable Cookie Scanner Module


`
SLOS → Dashboard → Module Management
`

Required Settings:

13. [x] Cookie Scanner: Enabled
14. [x] Consent Management: Enabled (for categorization)
15. [x] Database access: Verified

Step 2: Configure Scan Settings


`
SLOS → Consent Management → Cookie Scanner → Settings
`

Basic Configuration:
`json
{
“scan_depth”: “comprehensive”,
“include_subpages”: true,
“max_pages”: 50,
“scan_frequency”: “manual”,
“user_agent”: “SLOS Cookie Scanner v3.1.1”,
“timeout”: 30,
“retry_attempts”: 3
}
`

Step 3: Set Up Scan Permissions


`
SLOS → Consent Management → Cookie Scanner → Permissions
`

Required Permissions:

16. [x] Read website content
17. [x] Access database tables
18. [x] Write scan results
19. [x] Send notifications

Run Your First Scan


Step 1: Start Manual Scan


`
SLOS → Consent Management → Cookie Scanner → Run Scan
`

Scan Options:
`json
{
“scantype”: “fullsite”,
“start_url”: “https://yourwebsite.com”,
“crawl_depth”: 3,
“respectrobotstxt”: true,
“scan_javascript”: true,
“scan_iframes”: true,
“follow_redirects”: true
}
`

Step 2: Monitor Scan Progress


`
SLOS → Consent Management → Cookie Scanner → Scan Status
`

Progress Indicators:

20. Pages scanned: 0/50
21. Cookies found: 0
22. Time elapsed: 00:00:00
23. Estimated completion: Calculating…

Real-time Updates:

24. Current page being scanned
25. Cookies discovered
26. Errors encountered
27. Performance metrics

Review Scan Results


Step 1: View Cookie Inventory


`
SLOS → Consent Management → Cookie Scanner → Results → Cookie Inventory
`

Cookie List Columns:

28. Cookie Name
29. Domain
30. Category
31. Purpose
32. Retention Period
33. HttpOnly/Secure Flags
34. First/Third Party

Step 2: Analyze Categories


Essential Cookies (Usually 5-15):
`json
[
{
“name”: “PHPSESSID”,
“domain”: “.yourwebsite.com”,
“category”: “essential”,
“purpose”: “Session management”,
“retention”: “Session”
},
{
“name”: “wordpressloggedin_”,
“domain”: “.yourwebsite.com”,
“category”: “essential”,
“purpose”: “User authentication”,
“retention”: “2 weeks”
}
]
`

Analytics Cookies (Usually 5-10):
`json
[
{
“name”: “_ga”,
“domain”: “.google-analytics.com”,
“category”: “analytics”,
“purpose”: “Google Analytics tracking”,
“retention”: “2 years”
},
{
“name”: “_gid”,
“domain”: “.google-analytics.com”,
“category”: “analytics”,
“purpose”: “Google Analytics session tracking”,
“retention”: “24 hours”
}
]
`

Marketing Cookies (Usually 10-50):
`json
[
{
“name”: “fr”,
“domain”: “.facebook.com”,
“category”: “marketing”,
“purpose”: “Facebook advertising”,
“retention”: “3 months”
},
{
“name”: “NID”,
“domain”: “.google.com”,
“category”: “marketing”,
“purpose”: “Google advertising”,
“retention”: “6 months”
}
]
`

Categorize Uncategorized Cookies


Step 1: Review Uncategoried Cookies


`
SLOS → Consent Management → Cookie Scanner → Results → Uncategoried
`

Categorization Process:

35. Read cookie description
36. Determine primary purpose
37. Assign appropriate category
38. Set retention period
39. Add legal basis

Step 2: Manual Categorization


For Each Uncategoried Cookie:
`json
{
“cookiename”: “customtracking_id”,
“domain”: “.yourwebsite.com”,
“category”: “analytics”, // essential, analytics, marketing, preferences
“purpose”: “Custom analytics tracking”,
“retention”: “1 year”,
“legal_basis”: “consent”,
“data_shared”: false,
“third_party”: false
}
`

Step 3: Bulk Categorization


`
SLOS → Consent Management → Cookies → Bulk Actions
`

Bulk Operations:

40. Assign category to multiple cookies
41. Set retention periods
42. Mark as first/third party
43. Flag for legal review

Update Consent Banner


Step 1: Sync Categories with Banner


`
SLOS → Consent Management → Banner Settings → Categories
`

Banner Category Mapping:
`json
{
“essential”: {
“enabled”: true,
“required”: true,
“description”: “Required for website functionality”,
“cookies”: [“PHPSESSID”, “wordpress_“, “wp-“]
},
“analytics”: {
“enabled”: true,
“required”: false,
“description”: “Help us improve our website”,
“cookies”: [“ga”, “gid”, “gat”, “customanalytics”]
},
“marketing”: {
“enabled”: true,
“required”: false,
“description”: “Used for advertising and marketing”,
“cookies”: [“fr”, “NID”, “ads/*”, “doubleclick”]
}
}
`

Step 2: Update Banner Text


`
SLOS → Consent Management → Banner Settings → Content
`

Dynamic Cookie Count:
`javascript
// Automatically update cookie counts
const cookieCounts = {
essential: getCookieCount(‘essential’),
analytics: getCookieCount(‘analytics’),
marketing: getCookieCount(‘marketing’)
};

// Update banner text
document.querySelector(‘.cookie-count-essential’).textContent = cookieCounts.essential;
document.querySelector(‘.cookie-count-analytics’).textContent = cookieCounts.analytics;
document.querySelector(‘.cookie-count-marketing’).textContent = cookieCounts.marketing;
`

Generate Cookie Policy


Step 1: Auto-Generate from Scan


`
SLOS → Legal Documents → Generate → Cookie Policy
`

Policy Sections Created:

44. Introduction to cookies
45. Types of cookies used
46. Detailed cookie list with descriptions
47. Cookie management instructions
48. Third-party cookie information

Step 2: Review and Customize


`
SLOS → Legal Documents → Edit → Cookie Policy
`

Customization Options:

49. Add company-specific language
50. Include additional legal disclaimers
51. Add cookie preference center links
52. Customize cookie descriptions

Set Up Ongoing Monitoring


Step 1: Configure Automated Scans


`
SLOS → Consent Management → Cookie Scanner → Schedule
`

Recommended Schedule:
`json
{
“frequency”: “weekly”,
“dayofweek”: “monday”,
“time”: “02:00”,
“scan_type”: “incremental”,
“alertonchanges”: true,
“alert_recipients”: [“privacy@yourcompany.com”]
}
`

Step 2: Configure Alerts


`
SLOS → Consent Management → Cookie Scanner → Alerts
`

Alert Types:

53. [x] New cookies detected
54. [x] Cookies removed
55. [x] Category changes required
56. [x] Scan failures
57. [x] Compliance issues

Test Cookie Management


Step 1: Test Consent Functionality


`
SLOS → Consent Management → Test Mode
`

Testing Scenarios:

58. Accept all cookies
59. Reject all cookies
60. Accept only essential
61. Custom preferences
62. Withdraw consent

Step 2: Verify Cookie Behavior


With Consent Granted:

63. [ ] Analytics cookies set
64. [ ] Marketing pixels load
65. [ ] Tracking scripts execute
66. [ ] User preferences saved

With Consent Denied:

67. [ ] Analytics cookies blocked
68. [ ] Marketing pixels disabled
69. [ ] Tracking scripts prevented
70. [ ] Graceful degradation

Handle Special Cases


Step 1: Embedded Content Cookies


`
SLOS → Consent Management → Cookie Scanner → Embedded Content
`

Common Embedded Content:

71. YouTube videos
72. Vimeo players
73. Social media widgets
74. Chat widgets
75. Payment processors

Handling Strategy:
`javascript
// Lazy load embedded content
function loadEmbeddedContent(category, contentId) {
if (window.SLOS.hasConsent(category)) {
loadContent(contentId);
} else {
showPlaceholder(contentId);
}
}
`

Step 2: Dynamic Cookies


`
SLOS → Consent Management → Cookie Scanner → Dynamic Cookies
`

JavaScript-Generated Cookies:

76. User interaction cookies
77. Form submission cookies
78. Shopping cart cookies
79. Preference cookies

Detection Methods:

80. JavaScript analysis
81. Network request monitoring
82. DOM manipulation tracking
83. Event listener monitoring

Generate Compliance Reports


Step 1: Create Cookie Audit Report


`
SLOS → Reports → Compliance → Cookie Audit
`

Report Contents:

84. Executive summary
85. Cookie inventory
86. Categorization status
87. Compliance gaps
88. Recommendations

Step 2: Schedule Regular Reports


`
SLOS → Reports → Schedule → Cookie Compliance
`

Reporting Schedule:

89. Weekly: Cookie changes
90. Monthly: Full compliance audit
91. Quarterly: Comprehensive review
92. Annually: Regulatory compliance

Troubleshooting Scan Issues


Common Problems


Scan Not Starting:

93. Check module activation
94. Verify permissions
95. Review server resources
96. Check network connectivity

Incomplete Results:

97. Increase timeout settings
98. Reduce scan depth
99. Check for blocked pages
100. Review error logs

Cookies Not Detected:

101. Enable JavaScript scanning
102. Check iframe permissions
103. Review cookie settings
104. Test with different browsers

Categorization Errors:

105. Update cookie database
106. Review vendor documentation
107. Manual categorization
108. Community resources

Performance Optimization


Step 1: Optimize Scan Settings


`
SLOS → Consent Management → Cookie Scanner → Performance
`

Optimization Settings:
`json
{
“concurrent_scans”: 2,
“pageloadtimeout”: 15,
“resource_timeout”: 10,
“cache_results”: true,
“compress_data”: true
}
`

Step 2: Resource Management


109. Schedule scans during low-traffic hours
110. Limit scan scope for large sites
111. Use incremental scanning
112. Monitor server resources

Next Steps


Immediate Actions


113. Review and finalize cookie categories
114. Update consent banner
115. Publish cookie policy
116. Test consent functionality

Ongoing Tasks


117. Monitor cookie changes
118. Regular compliance audits
119. Update cookie policies
120. Train staff on procedures

Advanced Features


121. Set up cookie preference center
122. Implement consent analytics
123. Configure third-party integrations
124. Automate compliance workflows

Support Resources


Documentation


125. Consent Management Overview
126. Cookie Scanner Configuration
127. Banner Customization

Help


128. Cookie scanning FAQ
129. Vendor cookie documentation
130. Compliance consultation
131. Technical support