Windows Sihost.exe Process: Is It Dangerous?

Security is a fundamental factor for users. There are many factors that can put our equipment at risk and damage our privacy. There are many varieties of malware, attacks, dangerous processes … It is something that affects all types of operating systems and we must always take precautions to avoid problems. Now, sometimes we can have doubts about whether something in particular is dangerous or not. In this article we are going to talk about the Sihost.exe process and whether it really is a security problem in Windows.

Many processes run in the background

Keep in mind that there are many processes that work in the background both in Windows 10 and in any operating system. We are talking about programs that we have installed, functions of the system … but there could also be malware.

Windows Sihost.exe Process: Is It Dangerous

Therefore, we must always have control over what elements could be damaging our security when using the computer. It is interesting to analyze if a certain process could really be malware and we should take measures to avoid problems.

We already know that the fact that there is some malicious software activated and running on Windows could seriously damage our privacy. It could be collecting personal data and sending it to a server controlled by the attacker.

Something like this we could think of the Sihost.exe process. Many users doubt whether it is really something dangerous or not. We are going to explain what it is and if we should worry or not when using Windows 10 and seeing it activated.

Is the Sihost.exe process dangerous?

Sihost stands for Shell Infrastructure Host . It is a Windows system file that runs in the background and is very important for the proper functioning of the computer. It is necessary to carry out different actions such as the use of the contextual menu, for example.

If we open the Task Manager we can see this process running. To do this you have to right-click on Start and go to Task Manager. There it will show us all the programs and processes that are active in Windows 10. We can easily close one that interests us, for example.

It is also very useful to check which programs are consuming the Internet in Windows . We can see if there is any software that may be using more bandwidth than we would like, especially if our connection is limited or we are sharing data from the mobile. But also to see possible threats that we may have.

If we click on Details we can see all the running processes and one of them is Sihost.exe. Also, if we enter Processes, one called Shell Infrastructure Host will appear, which is what we refer to.

Proceso Sihost.exe

Now, can Sihost.exe be dangerous? The reality is that no. It is a process that, as we have indicated, is necessary for certain functions of the Windows 10 operating system. It is a process that is always running but that does not pose any kind of danger to our security and privacy.

What happens if I disable Sihost.exe

It is a system file , as we have indicated. This means that in case we close it we can have problems. If we close Sihost.exe we could have problems starting the Start menu or Cortana, for example.

We could even have performance problems if we disable Sihost.exe or any other similar process that is vital for Windows 10. We could receive error messages, notice that the system works slowly or fail to start other applications.

Therefore, we should not disable this process. It is not a threat and we can also say that it is essential for certain functions of the Microsoft operating system.

Could the Sihost.exe process become infected?

This possibility exists and does not affect only the Sihost.exe process. The truth is that many threats disguise themselves as if they were a Windows process , with a similar name. In this way, users do not suspect that they have a virus on their computer and even the operating system or antivirus itself would not detect it.

This means that we can come across a process that has been maliciously manipulated, but it would not be something exclusive to Sihost.exe. This means that we must always take into account certain tips to maintain security and avoid any type of problem that puts at risk the proper functioning of the equipment and also our data.

Use security programs

Of course we must always have security programs installed that can protect the equipment. Having a good antivirus or firewall can prevent the entry of threats and connections in our network that steal information or infect the system.

This is something that we must apply to any operating system that we are using and not only to Windows 10. No system is completely safe, so we must always exercise extreme caution and not have any problems.

Keep Windows always up to date

Another very important issue is keeping Windows always up to date . On many occasions, vulnerabilities arise that are exploited by hackers and manage to carry out their attacks. In this way they can create malicious processes that pretend to be legitimate.

Therefore, something that cannot be missing is having the operating system with all the necessary patches and updates. But once again it is something that we must apply in all cases, so we must also keep the programs that we have installed updated.

Control which applications we install

We must also be aware at all times of which applications we are going to install . You always have to download programs from official and legitimate sources. We must avoid third-party sites that can be dangerous and could damage our security.

In this way, by controlling the applications that we install in Windows, we can reduce the risk of suffering security problems, of being victims of a wide variety of attacks that could affect our privacy and proper functioning.

Common sense

On the other hand, something very important is common sense . We must avoid making mistakes that could affect our safety. For example, do not click on links that may be dangerous, be careful not to download attachments that come to us by e-mail and that we cannot trust, etc.

In short, all of this that we mentioned can help us avoid security problems that could affect Windows processes. An example is Sihost.exe, which as we have mentioned is not dangerous but could be modified or impersonated to carry out security attacks.