Rundll32.exe is a common process running on your windows computer. If you are curious about it or if you are wondering whether it is harmful or not, this post is just for you.
In this post, we provide all relevant information about rundll32.exe that you need. By the time you finish reading, you’ll have the right answers to questions like:
- What is rundll32.exe?
- Why are they running in the background?
- Are they harmful to your system?
What is rundll32.exe?
If you have been using Windows for a long time, you must have seen hundreds/thousands of dll files in every application folder. The dll files are used to store pieces of application logic that can be accessed by different applications.
Since there is no way to directly launch DLL file, the system uses the rundll32.exe program to launch DLL files. The Rundll32.exe is a command line utility program that is responsible for running dynamic linked libraries (DLLs) and placing its libraries in the memory.
The rundll32.exe process is invoked by a function that is exported from a specific 64-bit or 32-bit DLL module. Though the rundll32.exe is a system process, malicious programs can use the name rundll32.exe to disguise their process to escape visual detection of the user.
To ensure that no malicious program is using rundll32.exe for backdoor entry, you need to access the Task Manager and find out the programs that are related to different rundll32.exe processes in the Processes tab. Here are the steps to follow.
- Press Windows logo key and type cmd in the search box
- Click Command Prompt from the list of results
- In the command prompt window, type tasklist /m /fi “imagename eq rundll32.exe” and press Enter
- You will see the list of programs/services that are run by the exe program. If you find anything suspicious, you can locate the program in the system folder and delete it.
How to ensure the rundll32.exe is not a threat to your Window system?
As mentioned earlier, spyware and malware can use the rundll32.exe as a cover to prevent raising an alarm in user’s mind.
Before deleting any suspicious you need to ensure your fears are not misplaced.
Here are the steps you need to follow to find out information about rundll32.exe.
- Right-click taskbar to open the Start menu and click Task Manager from the list
- In the Windows Task Manager window, click Processes Here you will be able to see the different rundll32.exe processes running in the background.
- Right-click on any rundll32.exe process and click Open file location
- The above action should take you to following location C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe.
- if any other folder opens, it could be malicious program disguised as rundll32.exe
Many times malicious programs use different instances of rundll32.exe and you might see processes with names such as rundl132.exe. If you notice closely the last “l” alphabet is replaced by “1”. This trick is generally used to avoid visual detection and give the user an impression that there is nothing wrong with the rundll32.exe file.
What should you do if the rundll32.exe is a virus?
Getting rid of a virus is not easy and many times deleting folders of the program won’t help. In some cases, you won’t be able to delete the malicious program folder. The solution to this problem is updating virus definitions of your anti-virus and running a complete scan to get rid of viruses or malicious programs disguising as rundll32.exe
