How to detect and see suspicious internet activity

NetWorx is highly recommended by the Security Now podcast. They mentioned that one could see suspicious internet activity on ones computer. Can you explain what I could see to consider it a suspicious activity?

What would be considered "suspicious internet activity" greatly depends on what is normal internet activity for a particular user: what the user does online, what he/she uses the computer for, what other applications are installed on that computer...
But generally, suspicious internet activity refers to unexpected, unexplained, excessive or unusual network connections that might indicate malware, spyware or unauthorised access. Some key signs to look for include:

• Unknown applications using the internet without your knowledge.
• High data usage by unfamiliar programs, especially when your computer is idle.
• Connections to unknown or suspicious remote addresses, particularly in foreign locations.
• Unexpected network slowdowns, which could indicate hidden background processes.

With NetWorx, you can monitor these activities using the following tools:

1. Enable Per-Application Monitoring

Ensure that NetWorx is set to "Monitor application Internet usage while excluding local network traffic" in Settings on the Main tab. It will to track the applications that are using the internet. Please note that this option is available only in the installer NetWorx package (not in the portable).




2. Check Active Network Connections

Go to Tools > NetStat in NetWorx to view all currently active network connections. If you see an unfamiliar application, right-click it and select Search Web to look up more details.




3. Review Usage Reports for Unknown Applications

Open the Usage Report and switch to the Applications tab. Look for any applications using significant bandwidth that you don't recognise. Right-click the application and select Search Web to investigate further.




These steps will help you identify the suspicious applications that may be using your internet connection without your consent and/or for malicious purposes.