Windows Security Center

Security and Maintenance

A component of
Security and Maintenance in Windows 10: No issue has been detected
Details
Type	Maintenance Application
Included with	Windows Vista and later Windows Server 2008 and later
Also available for	Windows XP (part of Service Pack 2)
Service name	wscsvc
Related components
Backup and Restore Center User Account Control Windows Defender Windows Error Reporting Windows Firewall Windows Management Instrumentation Windows Update

Security and Maintenance (formerly Action Center and Security Center) is a monitoring component of the Windows NT family of operating system. It monitors the security and maintenance status of the computer. Its monitoring criteria includes optimal operation of personal firewalls, anti-virus software and anti-spyware software, as well as the working status of Network Access Protection, Windows Update, User Account Control, Windows Error Reporting and Backup and Restore. It notifies the user of any problem with the monitored criteria, e.g. when an antivirus program is not up-to-date or is offline.

Security and Maintenance consists of three major components: A control panel applet, a Windows service and an application programming interface (API) provided by Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI).

The control panel applet divides the monitored criteria into categories and color-codes them. Yellow indicates a non-critical warning, e.g. some settings are not being monitored or are not optimal. Red indicates a critical message, e.g. anti-virus program is offline.

A service, named "Security Center", determines the current state of the settings. The service, by default, starts when the computer starts; it continually monitors the system for changes, and notifies the user if it detects a problem. It adds a notification icon into the Windows Taskbar.

A WMI provider makes the settings available to the system. Third-party anti-virus, anti-spyware and personal firewall software vendors primarily register with Security and Maintenance through the WMI provider. Windows Vista added a new set of API that let programs retrieve the aggregate health status within Security and Maintenance, and to receive notifications when the health status changes. These APIs allow programs to confirm that the system is in a healthy state before engaging in certain actions. For example, a computer game can ensure that a firewall is running before connecting to an online game.