ou may ever find an .exe file containing any virus or malware and harm your computer. After all, the .exe file is vulnerable to being ridden by viruses. Of course, it will put your computer at a high risk. One of the .exe files is Msascuil.exe. Then, what exactly Msascuil.exe is and how to remove it from Windows Startup. Let’s find out below!
What is MSASCuiL.exe?
Msascuil.exe or MSASCuiL.exe is a safe executable file developed by Microsoft Corporation. The name of MSASCuiL stands for Microsoft antivirus security center user interface logo. This was first released in Redstone 1 Update, 2016 which runs at startup on Windows 8, Windows 10 and others. This file functions to display the icon known as Windows Defender Center for the Windows antivirus software.
This legitimate file/process is a part of Microsoft Windows 10 that can be found in the “C:Program FilesWindows Defender” folder. It is also known as part of the Windows Defender user interface. Unfortunately, most of these files and processes of msascuil can be used by cyber criminals to disguise malicious processes and programs.
Why Does Msascuil Contain Virus or Malware?
Msascuil is associated with Windows Defender as an anti-virus suite created by Microsoft. However, it is a legitimate file/process which can be trusted. But, cyber criminals really use this name of Msascuil to camouflage malicious software and the processes in Task Manager.
They basically create minor changes to names which cannot be noticed without careful inspection. Moreover, malicious files with similar names are placed in other folders and not designated for the origin of legitimate versions. Then, a malicious process is placed outside of the “C:Program FilesWindows Defender” folder.
In addition, malicious processes generally have graphical icons next to them whereas genuine system processes do not. Then, if the msascuil.exe is used to hide a malicious file, it surely should be removed immediately. Possibly, it can be a trojan which may lead to serious problems which relates to privacy, financial loss, browsing safety, additional infections and more. The list of camouflage malicious apps includes a cryptocurrency miner named COINMINER or CoinMiner.
Well, before you do any action, of course we recommend you to run a scan with the installed anti-virus and check if it detects any threats relating to this file. Because of the mistakes in the database, some anti-virus may detect legitimate files as threats and instigate removal of harmless system files.
When the security software detects legitimate files as threats, it is really called as a false positive result. But, those mistakes are basically fixed faster. In this case, before you remove the files, it is better for you to verify where they are placed in the correct folders and have correct names.
Here are the threats summary of msascuil.exe file:
- Name: msascuil.exe trojan
- Threat Type: Trojan, False Positive, Banking Malware, Spyware and Password-stealing virus.
- Detection Names: ESET-NOD32 (a variant of Win64/CoinMiner.OZ), BitDefender (Gen:Variant.Ulise.36452), Avira (TR/AD.CoinMiner.sjwdw), Avast (Win64:Trojan-gen), and others.
- Malicious Process Name(s): mscascuil.exe, MSASCuiL.exe, and msascuil.
- Symptoms: Trojans are designed to remain silent, stealthily infiltrate the victim’s computer and no particular symptoms are visible on an infected machine.
- Distribution methods: software cracks, social engineering, malicious online advertisements and Infected email attachments.
- Damage: identity theft, passwords, Stolen banking information, victim’s computer added to a botnet.
- Malware Removal (Windows): To defeat possible malware infections, you definitely can scan your computer with great antivirus software.
How to Remove Msascuil from Windows Startup
Step 1: Download Autoruns program
All users of Windows either Windows 7, 8, 10 and more, the first thing that you have to do is to download the Autoruns program. It shows auto-start apps, file system locations and registry.
Step 2: Restart your Computer into Safe Mode
Here’s a list of the ways in removing Msascuil for each version of Windows.
For Windows XP and Windows 7
- The first thing that you need to do is to start your computer in Safe Mode.
- Then, click Start and Shut Down.
- After that, hit Restart and Ok.
- During your computer start process, you need to press the F8 on your keyboard multiple times after you see the Windows Advanced Option menu appear.
- Then, from the list, you can choose Safe Mode with Networking.
For Windows 8
For Windows 8 users, you need to start Windows 8 in Safe Mode. To do it, you can follow some steps below!
- First, you need to go to Windows 8 Start Screen.
- Then, type Advanced in the search results, choose Settings.
- Click Advanced startup options.
- When the “General PC Settings” window opens, you need to choose Advanced startup.
- Click the Restart Now button. After you hit the button, your computer will automatically restart into the “Advanced Startup options menu”.
- After that, click the Troubleshoot button and Advanced options button.
- In the advanced option screen, you definitely can click Startup Settings.
- Hit the Restart button. Your computer will automatically restart into the Startup Settings Screen.
- Last, you need to press F5 to boot in Safe Mode with Networking.
For Windows 10
If you are a Windows 10 user, you certainly have to follow any steps below!
- First, you need to click the Windows logo, choose the Power icon.
- Then, click Restart while holding the Shift button on your keyboard in the opened menu.
- When you find Choose an option window, you need to click on the troubleshoot.
- Next, you can choose Advanced Options. In this option, you have to choose Startup Settings.
- Then, click on the Restart button.
- In the next window, you have to click the F5 button on your keyboard. Indeed, it will restart your operating system in safe mode with networking.
Step 3: You need to extract the downloaded archive and run the Autoruns.exe file.
Step 4: Click Options at the top in the Autoruns app, then uncheck the Hide Empty Location and Hide Windows Entries options. Last, you need to click the Refresh icon.
Step 5: In this step, you need to check the list which is provided by the Autorubs app and find the malware file that you want to remove. Last, you have to write down its full path and name.
That’s it! You definitely can check again after the process of removing Msascuil from Windows Startup is complete whether the malware still exists or totally removed.