Security Center (wscsvc) startup type, default configuration, and information
Registry Name:
wscsvc
Display Name:
Security Center
Description:
The WSCSVC (Windows Security Center) service monitors and reports security health settings on the computer. The health settings include firewall (on/off), antivirus (on/off/out of date), antispyware (on/off/out of date), Windows Update (automatically/manually download and install updates), User Account Control (on/off), and Internet settings (recommended/not recommended). The service provides COM APIs for independent software vendors to register and record the state of their products to the Security Center service. The Security and Maintenance UI uses the service to provide systray alerts and a graphical view of the security health states in the Security and Maintenance control panel. Network Access Protection (NAP) uses the service to report the security health states of clients to the NAP Network Policy Server to make network quarantine decisions. The service also has a public API that allows external consumers to programmatically retrieve the aggregated security health state of the system.
Default Status:
Running
Default Startup Type:
Automatic (Delayed Start)
Learn more about the different startup types of Windows services in Microsoft Windows.
Image Path:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe -k LocalServiceNetworkRestricted -p
svchost.exe is a system process that hosts and manages Windows services running from DLL files rather than standalone executable files, allowing Windows to modularize and efficiently manage background tasks.
svchost.exe loads and runs Windows services, such as networking, Windows Update, audio, and many others. Multiple instances of svchost.exe can run simultaneously, each hosting different services. This helps with stability and security—if one service fails, it doesn't crash all services.
DLL File Path:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\wscsvc.dll
Dependencies:
The service depends on the following system components to function properly:
System components that depend on this service to function properly:
- None
Log On As:
NT AUTHORITY\LocalService
Additional Information:
None at this time
Windows Service Startup Type:
In Microsoft Windows, Windows services can be configured with different startup types that determine how and when they are started:
- Automatic: The service starts automatically when Windows boots.
- Automatic (Delayed Start): The service starts automatically after the system has finished booting and initial services have started, helping improve startup performance.
- Manual: The service does not start automatically. It must be started by a user or another process when needed.
- Manual (Trigger Start): The service starts manually or in response to specific system events (triggers), such as device insertion or network changes.
- Disabled: The service is prevented from starting, even if required by the system or an application.