Download SpyShelter
Discover our Resources →
Learn how to protect your Windows PC from malware and other threats.Application Control
Control your PC apps and their behaviors.What’s that .exe?
Is that executable safe, or a threat?SpyShelter PC Protection
Learn how to protect your PC from bad apps.Registry Protection
Protect your Windows Registry from harm.Executable Directory
Our ultimate directory of Windows PC executables.How to prevent Screenshots
Learn how to prevent unauthorized Screenshots.WPA.exe is a process associated with Windows Performance Analyzer, which is a tool developed by Microsoft Corporation.
This tool allows users to analyze and assess the performance of their Windows operating system. WPA.exe enables users to track and identify potential issues and bottlenecks that may be impacting the performance of their system. It provides detailed insights into various aspects of system performance, such as CPU usage, memory usage, disk activity, and overall system responsiveness.
Microsoft itself writes that wpa.exe "is a tool that creates graphs and data tables of Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) events that are recorded by Windows Performance Recorder (WPR), Xperf, or an assessment that is run in the Assessment Platform. WPA can open any event trace log (ETL) file for analysis."
Below are 4 simple steps you can take to see if the wpa.exe process is safe or malware.
Researched by Laura @ SpyShelter Labs
A Trojan is a harmful software that pretends to be a legitimate program or file to deceive users into downloading it. It can steal personal information, damage files, or give hackers control over the infected device.
Download SpyShelter to see detailed safety information about every .exe on your PC.
Check your PC for threatsWe’ve found Microsoft Corporation should be the publisher of wpa.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.
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.
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.
Have any questions? Please join our free public SpyShelter PC Security Forum and talk cybersecurity with our USA-based team. We love talking about PC Security and we’d like to get to know you.
Join our PC security forum →
