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:
- Run the Process Explorer application on your computer.
- At the top of the Process Explorer window, right-click on the column title to open the context menu.
- From the menu that appears, select the “Select Columns.” option.
- In the dialog that appears, locate and check the UserName option. After that, click OK to close the dialog.
- 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:
- Locate and right-click on the instance of the svchost.exe you want to check.
- From the context menu, select the “Properties” option.
- 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.