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In an intriguing experiment, a cybersecurity researcher set up a fresh Windows 11 installation, updated it, disabled sleep mode, and left it idle for 48 hours to monitor all outbound network traffic. The goal? To uncover what data Microsoft collects silently—whether through Azure, telemetry, or unexpected connections.
You Should Know: Monitoring Windows 11 Network Activity
To replicate this experiment, here are the essential tools, commands, and steps:
1. Capturing Network Traffic
Use Wireshark or tcpdump to log all network activity:
tcpdump -i eth0 -w windows_telemetry.pcap
For Windows-native capture, use Microsoft Message Analyzer or Powershell:
New-NetEventSession -Name "TelemetryCapture" -LocalPath "C:\Captures\Telemetry.etl" Start-NetEventSession -Name "TelemetryCapture"
2. Analyzing Connections
Check active connections with:
Get-NetTCPConnection | Where-Object { $_.State -eq "Established" } | Select-Object LocalAddress, RemoteAddress, OwningProcess
Map processes to executables:
Get-Process -Id (Get-NetTCPConnection -State Established).OwningProcess | Select-Object Id, ProcessName, Path
3. Blocking Telemetry
Disable Windows telemetry via Group Policy (`gpedit.msc`):
- Navigate to:
`Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Data Collection and Preview Builds` - Enable “Limit Diagnostic Data” and set to “Basic”.
Or via registry (Admin rights required):
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection" /v "AllowTelemetry" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
4. Deep Packet Inspection (DPI)
For advanced analysis, tools like nDPI or Suricata classify traffic:
suricata -c /etc/suricata/suricata.yaml -i eth0 -l /var/log/suricata/
5. Firewall Logging
Log blocked outbound requests via Windows Firewall:
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "BlockTelemetryLog" -Direction Outbound -Action Block -RemoteAddress 204.79.197.0/24 -Logging Enabled
What Undercode Say
Windows 11 communicates extensively with Microsoft servers, even when idle. Key findings from similar studies include:
– Diagnostic Data: Sent to v10.events.data.microsoft.com.
– Cortana/Edge Updates: Calls to msedge.api.cdp.microsoft.com.
– Office Telemetry: Connections to officeclient.microsoft.com.
Mitigation:
- Use Windows Privacy Tools like W10Privacy or ShutUp10.
- Block domains via hosts file:
0.0.0.0 v10.events.data.microsoft.com
- Deploy Pi-hole to filter telemetry at network level.
Linux Alternative:
sudo tcpdump -nn -i any 'host v10.events.data.microsoft.com' -w ms_telemetry.pcap
Expected Output:
A detailed report revealing:
1. Frequency of Microsoft server calls.
2. Unnecessary background processes (e.g., `diagtrack`).
3. Data payloads (encrypted vs. plaintext).
For further reading:
Experiment responsibly—disable telemetry in production environments.
References:
Reported By: Activity 7323443533955166209 – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅
