My firewall is reporting that the executable, milkway_0.19_windows_intelx86.exe, is trying to access <various IP addresses of> hosts on my LAN.

Is this normal? (Unless I missed something...) Until recently, the client (boinc.exe) and manager (boincmrg.exe) where the only BOINC related executables that needed network access.

Did something change?

Here's the complete path to the file in question:

C:\ProgramData\BOINC\projects\milkyway.cs.rpi.edu_milkyway\milkyway_0.19_windows_intelx86.exe

C:\ProgramData\BOINC\projects\milkyway.cs.rpi.edu_milkyway\milkyway_0.19_windows_intelx86.exe

That is the stock MW app I believe.

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Doesn't expecting the unexpected make the unexpected the expected?
If it makes sense, DON'T do it.

While it may be legitimate, I still don't understand the necessity of what the milkway 0.19 executable is trying to do. I can understand why it would contact the IP address of the remote server and I understand the need for a DNS lookup, of the remote servers name, to get the IP address.

(All of the above should go to the default gateway address, my router, which is set correctly on the machine in question.)

What I don't understand is, why would milkway 0.19 ~.exe try to contact hosts on my local LAN? There's no reason for local communication.

What that in mind (that local comm's is not needed), I've prohibited the milkway 0.19 executable from communicating on the local LAN. Interestingly, there's no difference in the work that's being done for milkyway@home.

I guess what I'm trying to find out is;

- Is this the normal behavior of the milkway 0.19?
If it is (while I would still like to know why), enough has been said.
- If this is NOT normal behavior, I need to see if the executable has been compromised. (With a worm or a virus.)