| Security and Maintenance | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Security and Maintenance inWindows 11 | |
| Other names | Action Center (Windows 7 toWindows 8.1) Windows Health Center (Windows 7 RC build) Windows Solution Center (Windows 7 Beta build) Windows Security Center (Windows Vista &Windows XP SP2) |
| Developer | Microsoft |
| Included with | Windows XP (Service Pack 2) and later Windows Server 2008 and later |
| Predecessor | Windows Security Center |
| Service name | wscsvc |
| Type | System monitor |
Security and Maintenance (formerly known asAction Center, andSecurity Center in earlier versions) is a component of theWindows NT family of operating systems that monitors the security and maintenance status of the computer. Its monitoring criteria includes optimal operation ofantivirus software,personal firewall, as well as the working status ofBackup and Restore,Network Access Protection (NAP),User Account Control (UAC),Windows Error Reporting (WER), andWindows Update. It notifies the user of any problem with the monitored criteria, such as when an antivirus program is not up-to-date or is offline.
Security and Maintenance consists of three major components: Acontrol panel applet, aWindows service and anapplication programming interface (API) provided byWindows Management Instrumentation (WMI).
The control panel applet divides the monitored criteria into categories and color-codes them. Yellow indicates a non-critical warning, e.g. some settings are not being monitored or are not optimal. Red indicates a critical message, e.g. anti-virus program is offline.
A service, named "Security Center", determines the current state of the settings. The service, by default, starts when the computer starts; it continually monitors the system for changes, and notifies the user if it detects a problem. In versions of Windows prior toWindows 10, it adds a notification icon into theWindows Taskbar.
A WMI provider makes the settings available to the system. Third-partyanti-virus, anti-spyware andpersonal firewall software vendors primarily register with Security and Maintenance through the WMI provider. Windows Vista added a new set of APIs that let programs retrieve the aggregate health status within Security and Maintenance, and to receive notifications when the health status changes. These APIs allow programs to confirm that the system is in a healthy state before engaging in certain actions. For example, acomputer game can ensure that a firewall is running before connecting to an online game.
Security and Maintenance is in charge of the following:
Microsoft learned from discussions with customers that there was confusion as to whether users were taking appropriate steps to protect their systems, or if the steps they were taking were effective.[2] From this research, Microsoft made the decision to include a visible control panel withWindows XP Service Pack 2 that would provide a consolidated view of the most important security features. Service Pack 2, released in August 2004, includes the first version of Windows Security Center (WSC). This version monitorsWindows Update,Windows Firewall, and the availability of ananti-virus program. Third-party providers of personal firewall and anti-virus software packages were encouraged to use WSC API to register their products with WSC.
On August 25, 2004,PC Magazine published an article in theirSecurity Watch newsletter titled "Windows XP SP2 Security Center Spoofing Threat" which outlined a design vulnerability which could allow malware to manipulate Security Center into displaying a false security status regardless of the true security status. To do so, the malware requiresadministrative privileges. Microsoft countered their claim by asserting that if a piece of malware gains administrative privileges, it need not spoof anything, as it can commit much nastier malicious actions.[3]
WSC inWindows Vista monitors new criteria, such asanti-spyware software,User Account Control, andInternet Explorer security settings. It can also display logos of third-party products that have been registered with the Security Center.
Unlike Windows XP, in thebeta versions of Windows Vista, WSC could not be disabled or overridden. Security software makerSymantec spoke out against this, noting that it would cause a great deal of consumer confusion because any security problems would be reported by both WSC and Symantec's tools at the same time.[4]McAfee, another large security software vendor, lodged similar complaints.[5] In the end, Microsoft allowed WSC to be disabled.[6]
InWindows 7, Windows Security Center has been renamedAction Center. It was designed to centralize and reduce the number of notifications about the system; as such, it encompasses both security and maintenance of the computer.[7] Its notification icon onWindows Taskbar only appears when there is a message for perusal and replaces five separate notification icons found in Windows Vista.[8] A "Troubleshooting" link was also added, providing a shortcut to Windows 7's new Troubleshooting control panel.
In Windows 8, Action Center monitors 10 new items:Microsoft account,Windows activation,SmartScreen, automatic maintenance, drive status,device software, startup apps,HomeGroup,File History, andStorage Spaces.[9]
In Windows 10, the name "Action Center" is now used for application notifications and quick actions.[10] The Action Center from Windows 8.1 was renamed to Security and Maintenance, causing confusion for users and IT administrators.[11] It no longer displays an icon in the notification area, but otherwise retains all the features of the Windows 8.1 Action Center. The "Troubleshooting" link was removed in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
Starting withWindows 10 Creators Update, Microsoft has introduced a new component called Windows Defender Security Center (WDSC) that provides much of the same functionality. This new component is aUniversal Windows Platform app and is also the default front-end forWindows Defender.[12][13] It relies on its own service, called "Windows Defender Security Center Service".
In comparison to Security and Maintenance, the WDSC:
In Windows 10version 1809, the Windows Defender Security Center was renamed toWindows Security.[15]
In Task Scheduler, the following tasks are triggered by automated maintenance: [...] Microsoft\Windows\Power Efficiency Diagnostics. Analyzes power usage
In Windows 10, version 1709, we increased the scope of the app to also show information from third-party antivirus and firewall apps.
