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What’s Winobj.exe (Sysinternals WinObj)? Is it safe or a virus?

Winobj.exe is a utility program developed by Microsoft Corporation that allows users to examine the Object Manager namespace and the active registry in Windows operating systems.

This .exe is a very useful tool for anyone involved in system administration, security, development, or those simply interested in exploring the Object Manager namespace of Windows. It leverages the native Windows API via NTDLL.DLL to provide insights into the NT Object Manager's namespace. While it may resemble the version provided in the Microsoft SDK, WinObj surpasses it by avoiding significant bugs that affect the SDK version's accuracy in displaying information such as handle and reference counts. Furthermore, WinObj supports a broader array of object types and introduces several enhancements in Version 3.0. These improvements include a user-friendly interface with a dark theme option, capabilities to open device objects, real-time updates on object creation and deletion, and features for searching and filtering objects.

Researched by Carl @ SpyShelter Labs

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More about Winobj.exe on WINDOWS

Who makes Winobj.exe (Sysinternals WinObj)?

We’ve found Microsoft Corporation should be the publisher of Winobj.exe.

How do we know? Our SpyShelter cybersecurity labs focuses on monitoring different types of Windows PC executables and their behaviors for our popular SpyShelter Antispyware software. Learn more about us, and how our cybersecurity team studies Windows PC executables/processes.

What does it mean if someone is the publisher of a PC .exe (executable or process)?

The publisher of an executable is the entity responsible for its distribution and authenticity. Most processes/executables on your PC should be signed. The signature on the executable should have been verified through a third party whose job it is to make sure the entity is who it says it is. Find an unsigned executable? You should consider scanning any completely unsigned .exe on your PC.

Last updated: March 12, 2024

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Our team at SpyShelter has been studying Windows PC executables for over 15 years, to help fight against spyware, malware, and other threats. SpyShelter has been featured in publications like The Register, PC Magazine, and many others. Now we’re working to share free, actionable, and easy to understand information about Windows executables (processes) with the world, to help as many people as possible keep their devices safe. Learn more about us on our "About SpyShelter” page.

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