Continously Running Local Area Connection

That's normal.   The animated "blinking" is supposed to mean it's working.

You can take that icon out of your tray completely - I find it distracting, and anyway Windows will pop another notification up if the connection does have a problem.    Start, Control Panel, Network Connections, Local Area Connection, Properties, uncheck the "show icon" box.

No, it's normal. Your Internet connection is working OK. It's just a simulation anyway. Hover the mouse over the icon to check the connection. Problems or disconnects will show up as a red X on the icon.

OK, Thanks for the reply.

I'd recently had a problem with Spyware.Banker malware which I was finally able to remove with Malwarebytes.  Anyway, I just had a strange feeling that maybe my computer had been hijacked because up until the Spyware.Banker problem, the icon had only blinked when connecting.  Normally, it just remained blank.  Currently, my Internet connection icon is not blinking and remaining blank unless I connect to a website.  The LAN connectioin icon is solid blue even though both my network laptops are turned off.  If I right click on the icon and select "status" it shows a constant increase in data packets being sent and received.  I'm just wondering to whom are they being sent and from whom am I receiving them.  Now, since it is a Local connection, is it possible for the "outside world" to connect to my computer through this means?  Or, is it just an internal check keeping this open?

Thanks,

Jerry.

Thaks Mary,

I appreciate your reply.

I'm not referring to the Internet connection icon, I'm referring to the Local Area Network connection icon.

Jerry.

The "local area connection"  is a catch-all for everything connected to your ethernet port - including your broadband modem and/or router - so yes, it does include all activity to and from the internet.

Given MBAM found something, I know I'd be suspicious (especially something called spyware.banker).   There are ways to see your internet activity (like the link below), but it takes work to sort out what's what - an awful lot of activity is either internal to the machine, things like av/firewall checking ports or programs checking for updates, traffic to and from the modem and ISP,  and some internal Windows connections.   I won't pretend to know how to interpret it

http://ask-leo.com/how_can_i_tell_what_internet_activity_is_happening_on_my_machine.html

If you're really worried about it, the virus/spyware forum here may have ideas on what else to look for.   MBAM is good, but no one program is perfect.

Thanks Alexandra,

I will definitely look into it via the link you provided and may for sure also follow up with the other forum.

Jerry.