In analyzing the breakdown of my internet usage, it looks like a lot of down and up loads, but I don't download music or movies. I have 3 computers connected to BOINC, so maybe a little is attributable to that, and I have a satellite receiver for my tv, but I don't buy movies that way, either. I occasionally watch something on tv on demand for free, but not every day. Everything else I do is just basic email, and sending a picture or two to friends, that way, but that's not more than 10 or 20 Megabytes a day, tops. I don't even have a smart phone, lol.

Can someone explain why there appears to be so much data going through my internet connection?

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Windows chattering with certain Government servers? MS Update?

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Don't take life too seriously, as you'll never come out of it alive!

Windows chattering with certain Government servers? MS Update?

I don't think my computers are in cahoots with the government, and MS updates don't come every day.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

I am not sure if this is what you are seeing, but Windows 10 does report back about 1000 times an hour to several hundred servers. A lot of that telemetry is now present on older Windows versions as well.

Those are rather big uploads, so there must be something else.

Steve
Edit: Perhaps your system is being used as a botnet.

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Warning, addicted to SETI crunching!
Crunching as a member of GPU Users Group.
GPUUG Website

Seems a bit wonky.
For example, since I last rebooted................
I have 1.278 gb outbound (uploaded)
and 6.442 gb inbound (downloaded).
That's on my daily driver, crunching Seti and cruising the 'net most of the day.

Dunno why your usage is so skewed in the other direction, sending far more data out than you are receiving.

Windows updates would be large downloads, not uploads, so even if common, that would not explain it.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Hmm.
According to the stats you upload about 3 times more than you download.
I would say that's impossible.
Unless you share files on the net and have many users downloading from you.
Normally uploading is about 10 % compared to downloading.

It reminds me of my mother who got her computer hijacked many years ago.
How to stop the uploads?
Press CTRL ALT DELETE and chose Task Manager.
Browse for the result that have a high network activity.
Shut that service down and see what's happen.

Steve
Edit: Perhaps your system is being used as a botnet.

How can I check?

I've looked at my router's stats, and it doesn't show any unauthorized devices, and the computers don't show any weird background processes in the Task Manager.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

This is a screenshot of the Task Manager on my main computer:



Nothing taxing going on.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Try running Malwarebytes. It is a free program that is excellent at detecting malware. I am on my phone now, and it is difficult to post links, but it is easily searchable.

Steve

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Warning, addicted to SETI crunching!
Crunching as a member of GPU Users Group.
GPUUG Website

Steve
Edit: Perhaps your system is being used as a botnet.

How can I check?

I've looked at my router's stats, and it doesn't show any unauthorized devices, and the computers don't show any weird background processes in the Task Manager.

Check services. I have several programs I keep on the hdd but I don't want running all the time. I go into services and end program on them.

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Try running Malwarebytes. It is a free program that is excellent at detecting malware. I am on my phone now, and it is difficult to post links, but it is easily searchable.

Steve

Thanks, Steve, I have that nice little tool, and it runs every night, but nothing bad has been discovered.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

The other way is to run a network monitor, that will show you ALL and I mean ALL of your current network traffic, with relevant external ip addresses.

I use Microsoft Network Monitor 3.4, it is a little dated but it works on Win 10.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=4865

It takes a bit of working out but that first time you start to see the traffic flow!!

You can then use a "lookup site" to find out who owns all the ip addresses you see in the monitor.

I just ran it and got an "unknown" ip address that turned out to be Amazon, I had forgotten to turn off Amazon Cloud.

I would post a screenshot, but my hosting site seems to be having a trouble :-)

Perhaps do a search for "Network traffic analyzer ". There must be programs that tell what is going in and out of your network.

Steve
Edit: Bernie got to it first. :D

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Warning, addicted to SETI crunching!
Crunching as a member of GPU Users Group.
GPUUG Website

I wouldn't be surprised that your ISP have done a BIG mistake.

Next problem is how to convince the ISP that they are wrong and did a big mistake...

Check services. I have several programs I keep on the hdd but I don't want running all the time. I go into services and end program on them.

This is everything currently running:

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Perhaps do a search for "Network traffic analyzer ". There must be programs that tell what is going in and out of your network.

Steve
Edit: Bernie got to it first. :D

I went to Bernie's link, but the programs weren't downloadable, perhaps because I'm using Windows 10?

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Win 7 has Resource Monitor.
Dunno if 10 still has it........................

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Gordon, don't you host a weather station? That data doesn't go through your computer but does go through your internet connection. Also someone might be stealing wi-fi. That a look at what is connected to your router.

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I wouldn't be surprised that your ISP have done a BIG mistake.

Lol, thanks, Janne, but I doubt they would ever admit that. I guess it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things since I'm not being charged extra, and the computers are running fine, but it is very puzzling to me.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

I think Win 10 has resmon.exe

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster