Wuauclt.exe

Wuauclt.exe file description ¦lt;br /> Wuauclt.exe with description Windows Update Automatic Updates is a process file from company Microsoft Corporation belonging to product Microsoft® Windows® Operating System.
In total there are 8 launchpoints for this file including “Running processes”.
There are 15 different variations of the file in our database and the file is digitally signed from Microsoft Windows – Microsoft Time-Stamp Service
We do not recommend removing digitally signed files from Microsoft Windows. 

What is wuauclt.exe?
Wuauclt.exe is the Windows Update Autoupdate Client. It is a background process that periodically checks with Microsoft’s servers for updates to the operating system and drivers. 

If you wish to use Automatic Updates, this is a necessary process. If not, you can safely disable the Automatic Updates service, which will prevent it from running. While it is possible to kill this process through the task manager, it is likely that it will immediately come back if automatic updates are enabled. The screenshot below illustrates how it should appear in the task manager: 

  

Although in this screenshot, wuauclt.exe is running as SYSTEM, it can also run as the currently logged in user. 

Dangers of wuauclt 


As this is a process that runs on any Windows system with automatic updates enabled, it is common for virus writers and spyware vendors to disguise their malware as the genuine one. 

Some malicious files will have the same name but will be stored somewhere other than in %SystemRoot%\System32. Other malware will use a name that appears similar to that of the legitimate one but with slight differences in spelling or with appended digits. The following malware is known to disguise itself as wuauclt.exe:
 

  • Backdoor.Clt (W32.Cult)
    This is a backdoor trojan horse that gives an attacker full control over your system. If your wuauclt.exe is connecting to port 6667, it is likely that your system is infected with Backdoor.Clt.

There will typically be only one copy of this process running at a given time (although it is possible for there to be more). If multiple copies are running, one or more of the instances may be but are not necessarily malware. 

Common problems  

  • “Wuauclt.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close” when trying to update
    Look for wuauclt.exe in %SystemRoot%\System32\dllcache and, under properties, check the version. Ensure that it matches the one in %SystemRoot%\System32.
    If you have the KB927891 patch installed, try uninstalling it.
    If the problem persists, perform a repair installation of Windows.
  • This process uses 100% CPU time
    This can be caused by wuauclt.exe being stuck in an infinite loop trying to download a particular update. To fix it, disable automatic updates via the control panel and reboot the system. If wuauclt.exe is not running after a few minutes, you should be able to reenable automatic updates.
     Automatic startup locations
     001 Running Processes
     002 Autorun registry entries local machine
     004 All users startup startmenu
     005 Current user startup startmenu
     010 Installed services
     033 Winlogon Userinit
     065 Image File Execution Options (debugger)
     167 HKLM Policies\Explorer\Run
Posted in PC Security at October 25th, 2010. No Comments.

Scan PC – Protect Your PC

It’s the truth that with no a complete pc scan, your pc can’t function well. There are lots of risks which will damage your systems and nobody favors a miserably dead pc simply due to his/her little neglect. PC professionals are of the view that when we’re utilizing pcs for lots of activities we should think about to maintain and tune it up once in a while. This simple behavior maintains systems secure and allow it to work quickly. For example a Registry Cleaner is an essential pc scanner that we usually don’t use on our system. But, its importance is undeniable.

The risks to the operating systems result from lots of resources. There aren’t merely virus and spyware dependent attacks. Our Windows is also at risk of have registry errors. We can’t get a one in all answer for pc scan since these are completely different types of attacks. To get rid of them we should follow a holistic strategy and stop our computers from permanent injury.

Right now what to do if your pc has already been working with a sick system? The solution is to scan pc for check using the most trustworthy application scanners.

Listed here are several easy steps described that will help you to utilize each pc scanner for supreme safeguard.

*Scan pc registry.

*Scan pc for antiviruses.

*Scan pc for antispywares via a great anti-spyware application.

Don’t forget to follow this sequence so as to get your pc safeguarded and quicker. A Registry Cleaner is unavoidable to scan pc because it will root out the spy wares impact contained in the Windows registry database. The registry consists of extremely sensitive info related to the pc applications as registry keys and a tiny corruption within the registry keys can crash your system. Registry cleaner is an unavoidable pc scanner you can’t overlook.

Posted in PC Security at August 25th, 2010. 4 Comments.