Steps To Disable Wscntfy.exe

Purpose of wscntfy.exe

The wscntfy.exe file (Windows Security Centre) was first introduced by Microsoft with Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2).? This file is a part of the XP Service Pack 2 enhancements.

The purpose of wscntfy.exe is to provide user status information related to Windows updates, virus protection, and firewall. This process places an icon in your system tray through which it gives users reminders if the Automatic Update feature is disabled on the system or the virus protection program or firewall are outdated.

Wscntfy.exe ? File Information

The default location of wscntfy.exe on a Windows XP computer is Windows\System32. The most common size of this file is 23,040 bytes. It may also exist in 23,040 bytes and 17,408 bytes sizes.

Wscntfy.exe Issue

At times, wscntfy.exe is known to record huge CPU usage (80%-100%) and cause the system to slow down considerably.

Possible Solution

If you have installed a reliable third-party antivirus tool and firewall, you can safely choose to disable the Security Centre service to prevent wscntfy.exe from running.

Note: You cannot disable wscntfy.exe via the Windows Task Manager window. The process comes back even after you have terminated it using the Task Manager.

To disable the Security Centre service on your Windows 7 computer, perform the following steps:

  1. Click Start, type services.msc in the Start search box and press Enter.
  2. In the Services management console window that opens, locate Security Centre and double-click on it to display the properties dialog box.
  3. Click the General tab.
  4. In the Startup type list, select Disable.
  5. Final to save your changes click Apply and then click OK to exit the dialog box.

Wscntfy.exe ? Security Report

The legitimate wscntfy.exe file is a safe file released by Microsoft. However, various malware programs are known to use a file by the same name and are known to cause issues on the system.

Wscntfy.exe Virus File Behavior

The following file behavior is associated with the wscntfy.exe virus:

  • Deletes existing processes and creates new processes on an infected computer.
  • Does process hijacking (writes to another process?s memory space).
  • Communicates with other computers on the network using the HTTP protocol.
  • Registers a DLL file.
  • Accesses the details in the email address and phone book.
  • Retrieves the IP addresses for web sites using reverse DNS lookup.
  • Creates a TCP port on infected computers through which it can communicate with other computers.
  • Creates a new Background Service on infected computers.

How to safeguard your Windows computer against the wscntfy.exe virus

To protect your computer from wscntfy.exe and other malware processes, it is recommended that you always keep your antivirus and antispyware tools up-to-date and perform regular malware scans on your computer.

If you want to manually remove the infection:

  1. Use the Windows search tool to look for the file on your computer and note the location on a notepad.
  2. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to open Task Manager and end the wscntfy.exe process.
  3. Finally, open command prompt, navigate to the location where the wscntfy.exe file is located using the cd command and then use the del command to delete the file.

Although you may need to use the manual method at times, it is always recommended to use a good virus removal tool for effective removal of infections from your computer.