backgroundTaskHost.exe
Sources: 300M+ executions observed in the wild.
Summary
Background Task Host manages the execution of background tasks for Windows Store (UWP) applications and certain system components. It provides the runtime environment for background tasks registered by applications, such as push notifications, tile updates, and background data sync.
backgroundTaskHost.exe is the 15th most commonly executed Windows program in EchoTrail's dataset, observed 4,686,453 times across enterprise environments. It typically runs from C:\Windows\System32 and it is most often launched by svchost.exe.
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Behavior
Top Paths
- C:\Windows\System3298.65%
- C:\Windows\SysWOW641.35%
Top Hashes (SHA256)
- 20330d3ca71d58f4aeb432676cb6a3d5b97005954e45132fb083e90782efdd5020.96%
- e762aa456f3b27285010729a222379c3db1dfd658761604128fed6814a55b6ba20.07%
- 74b3323405cdfb85cfc9d5c1cd29c816c80361df154801e44f14863c9058906e18.08%
- 48b9eb1e31b0c2418742ce07675d58c974dd9f03007988c90c1e38f217f5c65b17.71%
- 238d1d9a7a9afe44cab13e61e9f1896424598b9405402acaece0a4244b8f61b18.66%
- b8e176fe76a1454a00c4af0f8bf8870650d9c33d3e333239a59445c5b35c9a376.59%
- 7077cbf56490c86fc74c0cc6c0379ab679f06a066e71906ad23458f6648364493.6%
- 2fadffbbf9c249a6ffdcae6e70f23d85f027ef220cf7a0015d8cec1c075790a01.35%
- 23a80e09dae6db17909e81b1ca7e9bf43158bdee69c1646125fc62e6bfe2745b0.93%
- 51eac3c367791ff55dd56684d8438a0017c72f023b4aea1c09a56dc0e7573aac0.89%
Process Ancestry
Top Grandparents
- services.exe100%
Top Parents
- svchost.exe100%
Top Children
- conhost.exe45.65%
- WerFault.exe26.12%
- mscorsvw.exe8.57%
- ngen.exe7.44%
- find.exe2.11%
- ngentask.exe1.69%
- explorer.exe0.84%
- chrome.exe0.56%
- NETSTAT.EXE0.56%
Security Analysis
What does backgroundTaskHost.exe normally do?
Located in C:\Windows\System32 or C:\Windows\SysWOW64. Always launched by svchost.exe. Multiple instances may run. Executes background tasks on behalf of UWP apps.
When is backgroundTaskHost.exe suspicious?
Parent process other than svchost.exe. Running from a non-standard path. Spawning shells or network tools. Name masquerading (backgroundtaskhosts.exe, backgroundtaskh0st.exe).
How do attackers abuse backgroundTaskHost.exe?
Not commonly targeted for abuse. Potential target for process injection or name masquerading due to its common presence and trusted status.
Detection guidance
Low priority. Validate parent is svchost.exe and path is System32 or SysWOW64.
False positive notes
Multiple instances are normal. Frequent execution reflects UWP app background activity.
Related Processes
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