General Information
None at this time
Windows 8
Default Description
The WSCSVC (Windows Security Center) service monitors and reports security health settings on the computer. The health settings include firewall (on/off), antivirus (on/off/out of date), antispyware (on/off/out of date), Windows Update (automatically/manually download and install updates), User Account Control (on/off), and Internet settings (recommended/not recommended). The service provides COM APIs for independent software vendors to register and record the state of their products to the Security Center service. The Action Center (AC) UI uses the service to provide systray alerts and a graphical view of the security health states in the AC control panel. Network Access Protection (NAP) uses the service to report the security health states of clients to the NAP Network Policy Server to make network quarantine decisions. The service also has a public API that allows external consumers to programmatically retrieve the aggregated security health state of the system.
Additional Information
None at this time.
Default Startup Type
| OS | SP0 |
|---|---|
| Windows 8 x86 | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 8 x64 | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 8 Pro x86 | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 8 Pro x64 | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 8 Enterprise x86 | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 8 Enterprise x64 | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
Service Names
Service Name (registry): wscsvc
Display Name: Security Center
Default Path and Command Line Options
C:\Windows\System32\svchost.exe -k LocalServiceNetworkRestricted
Log On As
Account: Local Service
Dependencies
Note: No dependencies are listed for any service in the WDP build I used to draft this information.
Windows 7
Default Description
The WSCSVC (Windows Security Center) service monitors and reports security health settings on the computer. The health settings include firewall (on/off), antivirus (on/off/out of date), antispyware (on/off/out of date), Windows Update (automatically/manually download and install updates), User Account Control (on/off), and Internet settings (recommended/not recommended). The service provides COM APIs for independent software vendors to register and record the state of their products to the Security Center service. The Action Center (AC) UI uses the service to provide systray alerts and a graphical view of the security health states in the AC control panel. Network Access Protection (NAP) uses the service to report the security health states of clients to the NAP Network Policy Server to make network quarantine decisions. The service also has a public API that allows external consumers to programmatically retrieve the aggregated security health state of the system.
Additional Information
None at this time.
Default Startup Type
| OS | SP0 | SP1 |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 7 Starter | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 7 Home Basic | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 7 Home Premium | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 7 Professional | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 7 Ultimate | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Windows 7 Enterprise | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
Service Names
Service Name (registry): wscsvc
Display Name: Security Center
Default Path and Command Line Options
C:\Windows\System32\svchost.exe -k LocalServiceNetworkRestricted
Log On As
Account: Local System account
Dependencies
What service Security Center needs to function properly:
-
Remote Procedure Call (RPC)(S, HB, HP, P, U, E)
- DCOM Server Process Launcher (S, HB, HP, P, U, E)
- RPC Endpoint Mapper (S, HB, HP, P, U, E)
-
Windows Management Instrumentation(S, HB, HP, P, U, E)
-
Remote Procedure Call (RPC)(S, HB, HP, P, U, E)
- DCOM Server Process Launcher (S, HB, HP, P, U, E)
- RPC Endpoint Mapper (S, HB, HP, P, U, E)
-
Remote Procedure Call (RPC)(S, HB, HP, P, U, E)
What other service require Security Center to function properly:
- None (S, HB, HP, P, U, E)
Windows Vista
Default Description
Monitors system security settings and configurations.
Additional Information
This service monitors the status of Windows Update, Windows Firewall and virus protection software. It is always displayed in the system tray as to the status of these particular functions. If you do not want the Security Center to monitor these functions for you, disabling this service is not enough. After rebooting the system, this service will again be placed into Automatic and started. While the service is in the started state, go to: Start > Control Panel > Security > Security Center and select the link on the left hand side labeled “Change the way Security Center alerts me.” In the resulting dialog box, Select “Don’t notify me and don’t display the icon.”. After that step is complete, you may place the Security Center service in disabled and it will not start again or continue to be displayed in the system tray after a reboot. This does not, however, disable any of the three protections, it only disables Security Center.
Default Startup Type
| OS | SP0 | SP1 | SP2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vista Home Basic | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Vista Home Premium | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Vista Business | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Vista Ultimate | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
| Vista Enterprise | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) | Automatic (Delayed Start, Started) |
Service Names
Service Name (registry): wscsvc
Display Name: Security Center
Default Path and Command Line Options
C:\Windows\System32\svchost.exe -k LocalServiceNetworkRestricted
Log On As
Account: Local Service
Dependencies
What service Security Center needs to function properly:
-
Remote Procedure Call (RPC)(HB, HP, B, U)
- DCOM Server Process Launcher (HB, HP, B, U)
-
Windows Management Instrumentation(HB, HP, B, U)
-
Remote Procedure Call (RPC)(HB, HP, B, U)
- DCOM Server Process Launcher (HB, HP, B, U)
-
Remote Procedure Call (RPC)(HB, HP, B, U)
What other service require Security Center to function properly:
- None (HB, HP, B, U)
Windows XP Pro x64
Default Description
Monitors system security settings and configurations.
Additional Information
This service monitors the status of Automatic Updates, Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) and virus protection software. It is always displayed in the system tray as to the status of these particular functions. If you do not want the Security Center to monitor these functions for you, disabling this service is not enough. After rebooting the system, this service will again be placed into Automatic and started. While the service is in the started state, go to Start > Control Panel > <strong >Security Center and select the link on the left hand side labeled “Change the way <strong >Security Center alerts me.” In the resulting dialog box, uncheck Firewall, Automatic Update and Virus Protection. After that step is complete, you may place the <strong >Security Center service in disabled and it will not start again or continue to be displayed in the system tray after a reboot. This does not, however, disable any of the three protections, it only disables <strong >Security Center.
Default Startup Type
| OS | SP0 | SP1 | SP2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| XP Pro x64 | ? | ? | Automatic |
Service Names
Service Name (registry): wscsvc
Display Name: Security Center
Default Path and Command Line Options
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe -k netsvcs
Log On As
Account: Local System Account
Dependencies
What service Security Center needs to function properly:
What other service require Security Center to function properly:
- None
Windows XP
Default Description
Monitors system security settings and configurations.
Additional Information
This service monitors the status of Automatic Updates, Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) and virus protection software. It is always displayed in the system tray as to the status of these particular functions. If you do not want the Security Center to monitor these functions for you, disabling this service is not enough. After rebooting the system, this service will again be placed into Automatic and started. While the service is in the started state, go to Start > Control Panel > Security Center and select the link on the left hand side labeled “Change the way Security Center alerts me.” In the resulting dialog box, uncheck Firewall, Automatic Update and Virus Protection. After that step is complete, you may place the Security Center service in disabled and it will not start again or continue to be displayed in the system tray after a reboot. This does not, however, disable any of the three protections, it only disables Security Center and the associated alerts.
Default Startup Type
| OS | SP0 | SP1 | SP2 | SP3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XP Home | ? | ? | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) |
| XP MCE 2005 | ? | ? | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) |
| XP Pro | ? | ? | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) |
| XP Tablet PC 2005 | ? | ? | Automatic (Started) | Automatic (Started) |
Service Names
Service Name (registry): wscsvc
Display Name: Security Center
Default Path and Command Line Options
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe -k netsvcs
Log On As
Account: Local System Account
Dependencies
What service Security Center needs to function properly:
- Remote Procedure Call (RPC) (H, M, P, T)
-
Windows Management Instrumentation(H, M, P, T)
- Remote Procedure Call (RPC) (H, M, P, T)
What other service require Security Center to function properly:
- None (H, M, P, T)
Additional Reading
None at this time.