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Is it possible that wuaucltcore.exe file is malware on my PC?

Anonymous
2024-12-16T18:30:12+00:00

Hello, on my PC there is a file called wuaucltcore.exe I have investigated and it says that the normal thing is that it should be in the system32, but in my case it is located in C: / Windows / Uss / amd64 I saw an answer in this forum and they indicate that it could be malware, but my case is somewhat special, it all started first when turning on the resolution of my PC it went down to a lower one of 1600x900, I investigated and it said that it could be because Windows was out of date, I saw in Windows update that there is a new version of Windows 11 that should be the most current that they have released, I updated and the resolution problem was solved, but a message appeared that AMD Software was out of date, and it also did not let me enter the AMD program, I let a professional do the whole process and everything was fixed, but after a few days I checked Windows update and there was a new update for the new Windows 11, and there was something running in the background that had to do with Windows update and it occupied 1GB of RAM, then it went away and in a few hours I hit update and shut down, the next day everything ran normally but in the task manager there was a process called wuaucltcore.exe that ran for 6:29 seconds with the CPU and occupied 0.1 of the network, after updating the second time I saw that there are several files that were created on December 13, which I think is the day I did the second update, but wuaucltcore.exe was located in C: / Windows / Uss / amd64 and investigating I checked that it should be located in system32, and if it was outside it could be malware, I will tell you the following, Before updating the new Windows 11 I opened the windows. old from my old HDD or HHD I don't remember well, for some reason that file was placed on my new SSD memory and I could also go back to Windows 10 but I didn't, then I updated Windows 11, that is, Windows. old was placed on my SSD memory, then I updated to the new Windows 11, then I updated the new AMD drivers since my processor is ryzen, and then I updated for the second time, and we found that wuaucltcore.exe was located in amd64, I asked ChatGPT why it could be in that folder and not in system32.

ChatGPT tells me this about reasons why it is being located on amd64

  1. Part of a legitimate installation:

Some versions of Windows may store temporary or update-related files in folders like Uss (Update Support System).

The amd64 subfolder indicates that the file is designed for 64-bit operating systems based on the AMD64 architecture (which is also supported by Intel processors).

  1. Misconfiguration or corruption:

If the file is outside the standard C:/Windows/System32 path, it could be a Windows Update installation error or a problem with temporary files.

  1. Possible malware:

If the file is not digitally signed by Microsoft, or if it is located in a suspicious location like Uss for no apparent reason, it may be malware trying to go unnoticed.

The file was signed by Microsoft and I uploaded that file to virustotal and there was nothing wrong with it, even though it had suspicious things in its relationships, but virustotal detects the official Microsoft page with a virus. ChatGPT says the following:

If the wuaucltcore.exe file is signed by Microsoft, is not detected as dangerous by VirusTotal, and is located in C:/Windows/Uss/amd64 but not in System32, it is likely part of a legitimate Windows installation or a file related to specific operating system updates. However, its absence in System32 may indicate a particular configuration or some automated system cleanup.

Why might it not be in System32?

  1. System optimization:

On recent systems (such as Windows 10 and 11), some files associated with update or recovery processes may be stored in temporary or architecture-related subfolders, such as amd64, instead of System32.

The file in System32 may have been deleted after an update, and Uss/amd64 may keep a copy as a backup.

  1. Use for updates only:

Some versions of Windows store certain Windows Update-related binaries in temporary or dedicated update support folders, such as Uss (Update Support System).

  1. System cleanup or changes:

If you used optimization tools, disk cleanup, or disabled automatic updates, this may have deleted the copy in System32.

Because of the things I did like updating and all that, is it possible that it is a mistake that wuaucltcore is on amd64 or should I be worried? The antivirus doesn't detect anything and a while ago I did a full scan with mrt and still nothing, but I'm going to do it again, sorry if it's a lot of text but I would like to be sure, thanks

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Security and privacy

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  1. DaveM121 868.4K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2024-12-16T19:11:22+00:00

    Hi, I am Dave, I will help you with this.

    That is not an indication of malware on your PC, there is nothing wrong with your system it is normal for the wuaucltcore.exe Windows update process to be located in the C:\Windows\UUS\amd64 in Windows 11, it is the wuauclt.exe process that is in the C:\Windows\System32 folder.

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  2. DaveM121 868.4K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2024-12-17T07:15:27+00:00

    It is possible for any Windows system file to become infected if there is malware on the PC, however, the location of that file is definitely correct and its location is not an indication that the file is in any way infected.

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  3. DaveM121 868.4K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2024-12-17T18:45:04+00:00

    Okay, if you have something else you are concerned about on your system, please let me know.

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-12-17T14:23:15+00:00

    Ok thanks a lot, I'll dismiss this as malicious but there's still one more thing I'm going to ask on this forum to see if there's anything wrong with my PC

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  5. Anonymous
    2024-12-16T21:43:51+00:00

    How strange, is it that I read in this same forum a response that said that the file I mentioned should specifically be in system32 and if it was outside it was not a good sign? On other pages they said the same thing, or is what ChatGPT says true and normal?

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