mstask & driver/service installation

Just wondering if mstask needs rights to install driver/services. Seems it's constantly asking for that

 

From Liutilities (found through a google search)

mstask.exe is the Windows Task Scheduler process. It manage the scheduling of tasks, such as backups or updates, to run specific times. If you remove this process the scheduler will be disabled and your schedules tasks will not run.

If you use the task scheduler, then certainly I would give it permission to install driver/services. If you don't use Task Scheduler, just make sure it's not in your Protection tab, then in the Security tab make it Deny Always. That way it won't give you the alerts all the time.

Note : I can't say 100% that it needs to install a driver/service, but it wouldn't surprise me at all that it would, if you use it. The part in italics can be found easily through a google search.

 

Vikorr,

thanks for the info. I actually did my googling before, so I knew what the program is meant to do and that it is normally a bona fide application. What I did not know is if permission for driver installation is required.
Now, I got the alert when I tried to use the update function in NAV - so it was not a scheduled task run at a predetermined time. At present the program is allowed to run and is protected but I have not allowed additionally to install drivers. I have not used this pc much today but even after a reboot this morning, it still tries every 5 minutes to install a driver - why?

I am still confused as to why you exclude programs from the protection status. Even if I don't run a program at present, I might want to do so in future. In that case wouldn't I want to make sure that the program remains protected?

 

I exclude programs from protection status when I don't want them to run on my computer - they have to be removed from the Protection tab to be able to achieve this in the Security tab.

Normally I will exclude something if I never use them, or if they are annoying me and aren't needed <or a combination of both>

It's safe enough to do this, because, even if say, a trojan tried to misuse the program you are denying...it of course can't run without PG's permission.

hence because msgsgs.exe and msgsys.exe aren't needed, and are actually a security risk when running <found out by googling>, I deny them always. dwwin.exe I deny because it annoys me, and because I don't want it sending error messages to microsoft.

basically, if it's safe to deny, and it saves me a lot of popups, I will deny something permission to run...that way PG works effectively but quietly for me...I value Security AND Quietness, and this is a good way to achieve a good balance for me.

Basically it is up to your best judgement on this one which way you go.

By the way, if you turn off balloon alerts, the only alert you get for denied applications/services etc should be the PG icon turning red (you will still get balloon alerts for any program wanting permission to run, that isn't already included in your security tab)