Where has my Internet allowance gone

[leon]

Hi Guys, could someone please tell me if my INTERNET WIFI set up can use data when not even logged on to any particular site.

It seems that my INTERNET allowance is being gobbled up even when i am not doing anything, it just has to be on.

eg: last night i looked up a couple of pages in IIS an that was it, used about 10 Mg's if that. closed the page and left the WIFI on, came back an hour later and nearly 1Gig was gone, so what has happened

Any suggestions please would be much appreciated.

Leon

[RickS (Rick)]

Did your computer download updates for Windows or an application? Perhaps even your anti-virus software? A lot of software packages call home these days but that shouldn't use a lot of data. Of course, you could have some malware chewing up bandwidth as well. It would certainly be worth running your favourite anti-virus and anti-malware packages.

Cheers,
Rick.

[rally]

Leon,

Could be a lot of things ?
You havent given us anything to go on !

File downloads or video downloads are probably the biggest consumers.
Have you turned off all automatic OS and software updates ?
Some software is simply ridiculous in the number and sheer volume of data used up in downloads.
I assume you dont have any viruses etc sending email or accessing your data
Are you using any cloud storage services ?
Are you synchronising files across other computers via the net

Do you have active security on your Wireless systems - maybe someone else is using up your bandwidth
By active security - a good password and maybe try MAC address filtering to limit who can log into your router.

Are there any other devices connected to your Internet - eg TV that could potentially be downloading

Does the usage correspond with your use of the PC or Laptop or is it happening continuously ?

If you cant isolate the problem within your PC maybe try to isolate the problem by disconnecting everythiing and then gradually reconnecting and monitoring your usage
Use a network cable into your router and disable WiFi and see if that makes a difference.

In mY Household I have numerous phones, numerous iPad, iPods, game controllers, laptops, desktops, file servers, TV, SetTop box etc etc etc that can all be joyfully updating, downloading or otherwise consuming a lot of data if i didnt manage it all - by turning off automatic updates for everything - which isnt easy for some software - notably Adobe !
If it isnt deliberately turned off and actively disabled - then you can almost guarantee that dozens of different programs across different platforms are all updating themselves every few days and some of these could be consuming a big chunk of your bandwidth on their own.

[leon]

Hi rally, I have a very simple life and none of the above you mentioned are any concern to me, I dont even send emails.
I simply connect some times, and look at IIS, and maybe some other stuff of interest and that is basically it, never download any photos or videos.
We only have 8 Gig's a month between two computers and dont even end up using that.
it is random though and dose not happen every day so maybe it is it with updates that i don't know about.
Thanks for your response though.

Leon

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Leon,
Updates happen pretty often with Microsoft systems. There has recently been quite a few big catchups for various security fixes which if you want to stay safe you need to allow.
If you leave the PC on and WiFi connected then these will download in background and install will happen. You may see various warnings and update notices at a reboot.
If the PC is turned OFF you should see no traffic through the router, just the occaisonal blip as it maintains contact with the outside world.

Do you have your WiFi secured and protected by a password ? If not someone nearby could be leaching data, ie using your connection.

[acropolite (Phil)]

It's possible to turn off the update service in Windows by running services.msc and turning off the windows update option. If you have an ipad/phone, they also update, without any option to disable, the only way is to block the ports used in your router. I believe the latest IOS is over 1GB.

[Dennis]

Hi Leon

Does your iPad or iPhone connect to the same Wi-Fi access point as your PCs?

If so, then the recent IOS 9 update was over 1GB – maybe that downloaded, although you should have received a pop up message asking whether or not you want to update/download it.

I don’t really pay too much attention to download file sizes as we are on unlimited Broadband, but I think that when my iPad was docked to my PC and I updated from IOS8 to IOS9, the download was over 1GB.

However, I noticed that when I had the iPad connected to our Router via Wi-Fi and the IOS 9.0.2 update message came through, the download was only around 90MB, much, much smaller.

The smaller size download (via Wi-Fi) might have some built in smarts that only downloads the difference between IOS 9.0.1 and 9.0.2 and not the full 9.0.2 had the iPad been docked with my PC whilst using the Broadband connection.

Cheers

Dennis

[leon]

Many thanks guys, for your help, i expect it is just updates from what you all have suggested, the WIFI is secure with a password so i don't expect someone else is stealing it.

Dennis there is no ipad or iphone, I don't have either.

Thank again.

Leon

[sil (Steve)]

Originally Posted by leon

Many thanks guys, for your help, i expect it is just updates from what you all have suggested, the WIFI is secure with a password so i don't expect someone else is stealing it.

Takes less than 5 min to crack/find someone's WEP password. Do not assume its not being used by someone else. Go back and re-read rally's post you dismissed. The biggest security hole is the stupid organic being who thinks their computer is safe. Don't even bother saying you use an internet security product.

[leon]

Thanks Sil !!,

The biggest security hole is the stupid organic being who thinks their computer is safe.

Wow, are you right mate.

Leon

[Meru (Michael)]

Hi Leon,

Sil is right - I have hacked into (my own) WEP-secure WIFI within a lunch break when I was testing how secure it was. If you are still using WEP encryption, definitely change it to WPS encryption. Very easily done through the settings on your router. As for the updates, if you just open the updates settings page (via control panel or on the icon itself) you can set it to 'notify but do not download'. Guide here:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-au/w...#1TC=windows-7

That's for Windows 7 but the procedure is pretty much the same on any version. And use passPHRASES instead of passWORDS for your wifi. Much more effective

[sil (Steve)]

Always be aware Windows has its own security updates which you should allow it to apply, you'll get a notification icon in the bottom right of your screen. If you have a web browser opened (even minimised) and you get an alert window saying you need a security update, do not click on it. Close any work and reboot. Just because a button on the popup says Cancel doesn't mean behind the scenes its not giving an "ok" back to its source. Best to be safe and note touch it at all.

Likewise if you get an email from a bank, or apple etc saying there is a problem with your account. Never click on anything in the email or respond to it. If you think its for real contact the bank or apple etc via official contact from their website and not the email.

These may seem obvious but they are forms of social engineering I've seen many people fall for. Sometimes they are very cleverly designed to look legit, especially emails. If in doubt don't touch it. You can always contact your bank etc and find out if there is any problems with your account . No shame in double checking.

[sil (Steve)]

Originally Posted by leon

Thanks Sil !!,

The biggest security hole is the stupid organic being who thinks their computer is safe.

Wow, are you right mate.

Leon

Sorry if my post was harsh. I seem to spend my life fixing computer problems that are obviously due to mistakes people make. It only takes one single misplaced click to grant permissions to something that allow it to essentially "be you" so it can silently install anything it wants or send any information it wants to anywhere it wants. Just like social media can allow anyone to steal your identity after which its almost impossible to prove You are You. I'm not a security expert but its obvious how insecure we all are from my interests in cryptography. I used to crack wireless passwords just for fun and another hint don't use "password" or "pa55w0rd" etc as a password: again people making silly mistakes. Even the options available to hide your wireless are a simple feature that don't really hide it.

Healthy paranoia is good