Hey everyone, I'm looking for some insights here. Today, I powered on my laptop running Zorin OS Lite 17.3, connected to my phone's hotspot, and visited just a few websites—including signing up for a cloud storage account. I didn't upload anything, and I didn't initiate any system updates. However, I noticed my phone's tethering data screen indicated that my laptop used approximately 350 MB of data during this short session.
For some extra context, I rarely connect this laptop to the internet—maybe every couple of weeks. About 2 to 3 weeks ago, I tried updating some Flatpak apps, but the update got stuck midway, so I turned off the laptop without completing it. Since then, it hasn't been online until today, and when I checked flatpak history, there's no record of any activity today.
Now, I'm left wondering:
1. Is it normal for a quick web signup session to use that much data?
2. Could that stalled Flatpak update have magically resumed and downloaded in the background, despite no evidence in the history?
3. I'm a bit paranoid about malware. Is there any real chance of that happening? I'm pretty cautious with my laptop and haven't engaged in any sketchy behavior.
4 Answers
Just a heads up for everyone: when asking for tech help, make sure to include your specific distro and some hardware details! It can make it easier for people to give you accurate advice.
Using tools like nethogs or Wireshark to monitor your network activity could help you see what was going on. But honestly, 350 MB doesn’t sound too out of the ordinary for just browsing and signing up for an account. I'd hold off on worrying about malware for now. It’s probably just a normal data spike.
Just keep in mind that asking clear questions helps in getting relevant responses. Everyone is here to help, but clear communication makes a difference!
Was there any kind of update that might’ve happened besides the Flatpak ones? Sometimes, even if you don't click to update, the system can pick up minor updates in the background.
I didn’t initiate any updates myself and don't have auto-update enabled, so I’m not sure what could have triggered it.
Good point! I'll make sure to keep that in mind for next time.