When I connect to a VPN my Ubuntu laptop calls to an ip address BEFORE CONNECTING and the whois is:
inetnum: 185.125.188.0 - 185.125.191.255
netname: UK-CANONICAL-20151111
country: GB
...
organisation: ORG-CGL14-RIPE
org-name: Canonical Group Limited
country: GB
org-type: LIR
address: 5 New Street Square
address: EC4A 3TW
address: London
address: UNITED KINGDOM
What is this and why?? Why does Ubuntu check in to Canonical HQ when I connect to internet??
It’s almost certainly related to cloud-init, (the canonical tool for handling deployment automation) or Ubuntu pro (extra long support for backporting security packages to older distros, plus some conveniences). They’re pre installed as a convenience to paid users of those services, that’s the (IMHO, quite reasonable) model they use to fund the distro. I would expect that some or all of that traffic would disappear if you disable/remove those two services.
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I don’t use Ubuntu cause of snap. What happened with Amazon ads?
Also ive never found any benefit from ubuntu-server over base debian. What the fuck is the difference?
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Thats wild. Fuck Canonical.
Sniff the packets and see if you can determine what the data is.
My guess would be an online connectivity check. Most systems try and reach some domain to say if they have network or not. Would be a logical place for them to try.
tcpdump that shit
DNS?
What exactly is the connection?
Canonical is the company that create Ubuntu
It may be the basic ubuntu telemetry (relatively non-invasive, but still a concern for the privacy-minded) sent by this tool unless you opted out at install:
https://github.com/ubuntu/ubuntu-report
from that page:
So it would not surprise me if it was scheduled to send, failed, and then re-triggered upon activation of a new network connection (the VPN).
Edit: Or even more likely, it is a connection from networkmanager to connectivity-check.ubuntu.com
https://ubuntu.com/core/docs/networkmanager/snap-configuration/connectivity-check
