Who or What is Uploading from me?

Factual Questions
21

To nitpick a nitpick, “upload” and “download” are based on context, and are not absolute directions. “Download” need not always refer to transferring files from some other computer to your computer. I could speak of someone else downloading files from me, for example.

It’s easier to think of “download” = “from” and “upload” = “to”. You can download from someone (or they can download from you), and you can upload to someone (or they can upload to you).

22

It might be easier to check the startup programs through msconfig. Go to Run>msconfig and check the statrup tab to see if there are suspicious little programs getting loaded. Uncheck any that are known bad and reboot. You will be presented with a new dialog box on reboot so just check the small box in the corner. I also urge you to get ZoneAlarm or something similar to monitor your connection.

23

THanks for all the input - nothing obvious in the registry or in the msconfig startup.

I do have a process called wuauclt.exe, that I went and found the exe (in win/sys32). It looks like a real Microsfot thing, but it’s a automatic windows update. I can’t figure out why it would need to upload constantly every time I get online, though.

I think my next step is to call Microsoft.

24

bup you could turn off Auto Updating to see if that stops the uploading. I don’t think that the amount of uploading taking place is quite right. Go To Control Panel > System and then AutoUpdate Tab to disable.

25

According to this http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/analyses/trojcultb.html, wuauclt.exe could be a virus that allows remote connections through IRC. That could explain the unexpected network activity you’re seeing.

26

Go to the microsoft update website and update all your critical updates and service packs manually. Once you’ve done that, then the automatic updater should be quiet and not doing anything, since everything is updated (until the next update is available on their website, of course).

This should not only rule out the auto updater, but it might close of an exploitable bug in Windows that’s the root of your problem.

Peace.