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"microsftsecurityapp.exe" Memory Overlaod

Anonymous
2023-05-06T05:30:24+00:00

...

Ok no apps installed, no unusal changes to Windows by myself - just the normal MS updates.

The problem is that microsoftsecurityapp.exe is going off the charts with memory 12-19M and it just continues, non-stop.

I managed to drop it by turning off what may have been the 'smart app control' or the setting associated with the yellow mark my security icon - it now runs at about 5M see below.

What is the go here?

I ran sfc and other dism funtions with zero luck to changing it.

Any suggestions other than the "refresh windows" do a "clean install"?

Thanks.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Security and privacy

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  1. Ramesh 176.8K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2023-07-06T18:44:52+00:00

    Great, thanks for the update.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-07-06T18:43:50+00:00

    Image

    #1: microsoftsecurityapp.exe is not infected. If that were the case, the checksum would differ. Anyway, this app looks optional, and uninstalling it (using PowerShell) shouldn't cause any issues. It can be reinstalled from Microsoft Defender – Microsoft Store Apps if needed later.

    #2: VirTool:Win32/DefenderTamperingRestore is Not a virus. It just means your Defender configuration is incorrect. The sub-optimal configuration could be the result of anything -- malware or misconfiguration. For instance, enabling the DisableAntiSpyware policy via GPO/registry may trigger the warning.

    VirTool:Win32/DefenderTamperingRestore threat description - Microsoft Security Intelligence

    I wanted to point out in my case only😉

    no1. From this morning this is what I found - any issues with microsoftsecurityapp.exe was caused by two programs installed and working at the same time on the same WIN 11 system ( Norton 360 + Malwarebytes ) my fault🤔

    no2. Any system WIN 11 issues ( system crashes, overusing memory RAM etc.) was caused by no1. (above ⬆️ )

    no3. VirTool:Win32/DefenderTamperingRestore - the detection of this suspicious process was caused by an attempted manipulation, misconfiguration, interference etc. - on the part of one or both programs (Norton 360, Malwarebytes) in the operation of Windows Defender.

    Summing up, after uninstalling one of the programs (I decided to remove Malwarebytes), the system has been fully operational for several hours, no issues, RAM usage up to 35% maximum no issues, microsoftsecurityapp.exe works without any interference in RAM.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-05-06T06:27:18+00:00

    Hello DiggerDavey,

    I am Jaspreet Singh.

    Please download the latest scanner from here and run a complete scan of your system : https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365...

    A hidden malware is known to cause the security app to consume resources in a similar fashion.

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-05-08T11:10:51+00:00

    I was not mentioning any specific virus though miners is the generic category of the malware that cause unwanted resource consumption.

    Are you unable to access store and notepad currently?

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-05-08T01:17:36+00:00

    Ok thanks for that.

    I ran the fairly annoying, never actually naming what it found, just hiding it from you 'Microsoft Safety Scanner' programme as you suggested and I assume it picked up the usual false positves that it sees. Typical stuff from my documents back to win95 times. Anyway I let it run (full).

    Nothing after a restart, same problem.

    So I ran it in safe mode, same problem existed.

    I ran malbyte software because in itself this is like bloatware and is hard to uninstall afterwards. And adware bleeping computers...

    Nothing from that.

    I did some self-diagnosis and sfc and dism stuff again. Found the MS security was essentially broken from what I'm not sure... maybe a virus, I say maybe.

    Anyway, after many restarts and scans and registry edits, it seems to have stopped. But I lost the store, and things like notepad etc.

    So in the end not sure what it was. I can state that it was unlikely a virus as the scan proved, but who know.

    Thanks for your suggestion and help...

    Too bad there is little about "microsoftsecurityapp.exe" out there. Are you aware of the actual "name of the virus" that you mentioned?

    Cheers

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