Windows operating system has a lot of processes running while you work on your computer. You must be familiar with processes such as Runtime Broker, System Interrupts, DWM and more. All these processes have their own significance and are responsible for regular operating of your Windows computer.
One of the most important processes that you should be aware of is Windows Logon Application or winlogon.exe.
Now you must be wondering, what is Windows Logon Application and how it is important, so let’s know all about it!
What is the Windows Logon Application morning or Winlogon.exe?
Windows Logon Application is a significant system process which performs a lot of operations. One of the operations taken care of by Windows logon app is a screensaver. When your system sits idle for a while and a screensaver comes up to the screen, it is due to the Windows logon process. It monitors the activity of keyboard and mouse to notice when should the screensaver be activated or deactivated.
Another one of the tasks is to load user profile in Windows Registry once you log in to your computer.
This enables the user-related processes to get the benefit of special registry key which is HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
Windows Logon Application is also responsible for the Secure Attention Sequence (SAS) in Windows. It means it keeps an eye for the SAS key combination to be pressed which comes before the login screen to make sure its credibility. This is to protect you against the cybercriminals who try to steal user ID and passwords by presenting a fake login screen, this technique is called as login spoofing.
When we press the Ctrl+Alt+Delete keyboard shortcut, it is a SAS key combination which brings up the login screen, this combination guarantees that a user gets a real login screen on their computer. To add a secure sign-in screen, follow these steps:
Step 1: If you want to secure the sign-in screen to your Windows computer, then open the command prompt.( press Windows and R to get Run window and type cmd, press enter.)
Step 2: Once you get to command prompt window, type command netplwiz.
Step 3: You will get the User Accounts window, locate Advanced tab.
Step 4: Now under a secure sign in, put a checkmark beside “Require users to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete” Click OK to save the settings.
Some of the Windows users think of winlogon.exe as a virus, have you ever wondered, whether it is true or not?A lot of Windows users might have encountered issues related to malware which included Windows Logon Application. The application is not harmful on its own however it could be taken advantage of by hackers attempting to develop malicious code.
Trojans pretending as winlogon.exe is not uncommon. One of the prevalent ones is the Vundo trojan.
How To Check Whether Windows.Logon.Exe Is Infected?
If you suspect that your system is infected, then you can get to Task Manager and check the resources used by a winlogon.exe process.
Moreover, you need to ensure that the file is present in Windows -> System 32 folder on your system drive.
To get task manager press Windows and R to get run Window and then type taskmgr. On the task manager window, right-click Windows Logon Application Process, and select the Open file location
Also, make sure it’s located in the \Windows\System32 folder on the system drive. In the Task Manager, right-click on the Windows Logon Application Process, then click on Open file location.
What if Windows Logon App Has High CPU Usage?
Windows Logon Applications usually use minimum resources to function. However, if you have a corrupt file or your system is infected, then there could be a lot of system resources usage by Windows Logon application.
To resolve this issue of high CPU usage, you need to do is System Restore. Alternatively, you can reset your computer as well.
What If You Don’t Want Windows Logon App To Function?
Closing down the App or killing the process used by the app seems to be the main way to do it. However, disabling Winlogon.exe is not possible as it is a critical process.
So, that’s it! This is what Windows Winlogon.exe process is all about! Whether it is logging on your computer securely or making the screensaver appear on time, Windows Logon App takes care of all. What do you think of Windows Logon application? Express your thoughts in the comments section below.