ping.exe is trying to connect to Internet ?

Comodo Internet Security - CIS Firewall Help - CIS
#1

I got this Firewall popup (see screenshot). Why is it connecting to Internet? How to handle it?

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#2

This IP Address is assigned to Microsoft, and specially for Hotmail. Do you have Live messenger or something active during the alert?
http://whois.arin.net/rest/net/NET-64-4-0-0-1/pft

#3

I was not doing anything on my PC, I just was the alert. I dont have messenger or so, only Skype. Also I am not using hotmail, I do have hotmail adres but havent use this for months , maybe years.

#4

Run network diagnostics because of connection issues?

I think it’s some build in Microsoft process that tries to determine if there is network connection or how much MTU space there is on the network etc.
Nothing to really worry about.

#5

sorry, I dont understand what you mean :frowning:

#6

What where you doing when the alert showed up?
Where you running network diagnostics because of connection issues for example?

#7

Maybe this will help:

Microsoft forcing a ping??

#8

I also got a random outgoing ping request a few hours ago. ;D So this is connected to the infamous Win7 active connectivity probing? I thought it only works by accessing http://www.msftncsi.com/ncsi.txt

#9

Or this Re: Microsoft forcing a ping?? probably more likely.

#10

Yep, that was it! The task is there, and its last-run time log matches the one at CIS alert. Except that today isn’t anywhere close to Sunday. ;D Maybe it’s related to event 1014 (DNS Client Events) “Name resolution for the name time.windows.com timed out after none of the configured DNS servers responded” which is also logged at about the same time. (Except that teh internets was available at that time, and I don’t use time.windows.com for time sync. :wink: )

#11

It’s possible the anomaly is caused by the conditions of the event and even if you have chosen not to use MS for time sync - I use pool.ntp.org - this diagnostics will still poll the MS time server.

#12

Got that one the other day. W7 x32 pc. It was after applying Windows updates for December manually. I allowed that and it went away. Have not seen it lately. Is it safe to allow that or will I block that in the firewall or D+…?

#13

I’m almost certain it’s ‘default’ diagnostics Ping with default data ‘abcdef…’ so there is little or no harm done in allowing this.