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What is Unsecapp.exe? Is it safe?

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There are hundreds, if not thousands, of subprocesses running behind the screens keeping your Windows installation running as it should. While not all of these processes are critical to your OS, a lot of them power additional features and functionality that keep the user experience cohesive. 

In this article, we’re talking about the Unsecapp.exe process, whether it’s safe to run and everything else you need to know. 

Also read: How to fix Incorrect Windows 11 Audio icons?


Unsecapp.exe explained

Unsecapp.exe stands for Universal Sink to Recieve Callbacks from Applications. The process plays an important part in how Windows responds to requests from third-party programs, and its own features such as Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and lets them work properly in tandem with each other.

Anytime a program needs to interact with a Windows feature, it interacts with the WMI sink. This offers a safe way for external programs to interact with Windows and its features without the possibility of them hijacking a system-critical process or taking over Windows entirely.


Is Unsecapp safe?

Malware authors often name malware or other malicious programs after legitimate processes from Windows itself to avoid detection. If you see unsecapp.exe running in the Task Manager, you don’t need to worry as it’s a legitimate Windows process and does run basically all the time considering you might have programs that interact with Windows in the background. 

That said, there are times when the process uses too many system resources and would run even if your system is ideal. In such cases, checking the validity of the process can indicate whether or not your system has been compromised. 

The legitimate unsecapp.exe process resides in the following directory. 

C:\Windows\System32\wbem

Step 1: Head over to the Details tab in the Task Manager, right-click the unsecapp.exe process and select Open file location.

Step 2: Check the file path of the process. If it’s located in the aforementioned folder on your Windows installation partition or drive, the process is legitimate. 

Additionally, you can also check the file’s digital signature to verify its authenticity. 


Can you remove Unsecapp.exe?

Since it’s a core Windows process, you can’t remove unsecapp.exe from your PC. You can disable the process using Task Manager, but we don’t recommend doing so as you’ll be doing more harm than good. 

The process shouldn’t use too many system resources on your PC. In case it does, there’s a chance that it might be malware, a system fault or a third-party program interacting with the Windows sink that’s malfunctioning instead of unsecapp.exe. 

Also read: What is Shenzhen Bilian Electronic Co Ltd? 

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Yadullah Abidi

Yadullah is a Computer Science graduate who writes/edits/shoots/codes all things cybersecurity, gaming, and tech hardware. When he's not, he streams himself racing virtual cars. He's been writing and reporting on tech and cybersecurity with websites like Candid.Technology and MakeUseOf since 2018. You can contact him here: yadullahabidi@pm.me.

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