TCP View

TCP View and You

Today's security article is for those of you that really like to "see" what your computer is doing. Have you ever wondered what your computer does when it connects to the internet, or what programs on your computer use the internet? Well, if you answered yes to either one of those, you are gonna love this!

The other day I was thinking about all of the programs that connect to the internet on my computer and that got me wondering. "Is there a program out there that will show you every single time that something connects to the internet from my pc?" I started looking around and I found a program that does exactly that. The program is called TCPView and it can be a very handy little utility to have.

Here is a picture of what it looks like.

While it probably doesn't make much sense looking at it now, it will after you install it. Each value represents a separate connection to the internet. Looking at mine right now shows me several system connections: my chat client, firefox and my antivirus software. If I were to open a page on the internet or tell my A/V software to check for updates, it would light up like a Christmas tree.

So, how is this a security program? It's simple. Since TCPView will show you every program that is accessing the Internet, you can easily look at this and see what is using your connection. If you check it regularly and see something out of the ordinary, you can fine out what it is and remove it. You can even stop the action by right clicking it and choosing "end process".

If you are interested in checking out TCPView, you can get it here for free.

Until next time, stay safe out there!

~Gary

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