Effective Ways to Identify and Overcome Malware Processes in Windows 11

Color Coding Process in Process Explorer

 Process Explorer uses color coding to help users identify the type of process that is running. The following is an explanation of the color coding used:

Purple Process:

Indicates a compressed file (also known as packaged), which can hide malware code. This process is often an early indication of malware, as they are designed to hide themselves from antivirus scanners.

Red Process:

Indicates the process that is being stopped. This means that the process has been shut down or is in the process of being terminated.

Green Process:

Indicates a process that has just been carried out (also known as being born). This process may have just been launched and needs to be further checked to ensure its security.

Light Blue Process:

Shows the process run by the same account that started Process Explorer. This helps users understand the context in which the process is coming from.

Dark Blue Process:

Shows the process currently selected by the user in the Process Explorer view. This makes it easier for users to focus on specific processes.

Pink Process:

Shows the services running on the PC, including critical system processes such as svchost.exe. This process can accommodate one or more other services, sharing resources for efficiency.

Using Color Encoding for Malware Identification

By understanding this color coding, users can quickly identify potential threats in their systems. Purple-colored processes should be further examined to ensure that they are not malware, while other processes also need to be monitored based on their context and behavior.

Utilizing this feature in Process Explorer allows users to conduct an in-depth analysis of system activity and take necessary preventive measures to protect the computer from malicious threats.

Checking SVCHOST.EXE for Malware

Malware often tries to mimic the svchost.exe process because it is a critical component of the Windows operating system that runs system services. Since many users and security software recognize svchost.exe as a legitimate process, the malware takes advantage of this to hide its existence.

svchost.exe processes typically have many instances running in the background, making it more difficult to detect unauthorized processes. Malware disguised as svchost.exe can evade detection by using a similar name or by operating under unusual user accounts.

How to Use the [+] Icon to the Left of a Process to See Subprocesses That May Be Malware

1. Run the Process Explorer app on your computer.
2. Search the list of processes and find all instances of svchost.exe. You will see several entries for this process.
3. To the left of the svchost.exe process name, you’ll see the [+] icon. This icon indicates that the process has subprocesses that can be further examined.
4. Click on the [+] icon to expand the view and see the subprocesses associated with that svchost.exe instance. It will display all the subprocesses that may potentially be malware.
5. Check those subprocesses to see if anything is suspicious or unknown. If you find a subprocess with an unusual or unfamiliar name, this could be an indication of malware.

Verifying the authenticity of the SVCHOST.EXE process

To verify the authenticity of the svchost.exe process, the first step is to enable the column that displays the user account that ran the process. Here are the steps:

1. Run the Process Explorer application on your computer.
2. At the top of the Process Explorer window, right-click on the column title to open the context menu.
3. From the menu that appears, select the “Select Columns.” option.
4. In the dialog that appears, locate and check the UserName option. After that, click OK to close the dialog.
5. You’ll now see a new column in the process list that shows the user account for each running process.

Valid Username for SVCHOST.EXE Process

All original svchost.exe processes will run under one of the following three usernames:

• NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
• LOCAL SERVICE
• NETWORK SERVICE

If you find an instance of svchost.exe running under another username, this could be an indication that the process is malware.

Checking the Properties of SVCHOST.EXE Process to Ensure Authenticity

The next step to verify the authenticity of the process is to check its properties:

1. Locate and right-click on the instance of the svchost.exe you want to check.
2. From the context menu, select the “Properties” option.
3. In the Properties window, look at the Command line field. The native Windows process will always start with:

C:\Windows\System32\svchost.exe –k

If the command line doesn’t fit this format, then it’s most likely malware.

Conclusion

Process Explorer is an important tool for identifying and dealing with malware processes on Windows 11 systems. By understanding the color coding used in Process Explorer, users can quickly recognize suspicious processes, especially those related to svchost.exe, which are often abused by malware.

Steps such as checking user accounts and properties of the process are crucial to ensure the authenticity and security of the system. Regularly checking the system using this tool will help keep the device safe from malicious malware threats.