The ekrn.exe is a part of ESET Antivirus. The ESET Kernel Service is a process of ESET Smart Security software which is a genuine program by ESET and ekrn.exe is an executable file for this program. ESET is the popular name for ESET Smart Security. It is an Internet Security Suite that is designed to protect computers against the attack of malicious software and other harmful malware that can enter a system through Internet browsing.
EKrn means ESET Kernel Service
ESET Smart Security is a Russia based company that provides Internet security solutions for MAC and Android, apart from Windows Operating System. The genuine ekrn.exe file is a complete program that runs a core kernel driver for the system.
It is a solution that is designed to provide all round protection to your system by integrating an antivirus scanner, a PUA shield that prevents unwanted applications, anti-phishing and anti-ransomware technology, a personal firewall, cloud protection technology, parental protection, machine learning algorithms and much more.
Quick Overivew
File Location and Size
The genuine ekrn.exe file can be found in a sub folder of C:\Program Files. It is not a core Windows file and hence, is not mandatory for your computer.
For some users, the ekrn.exe has been reported to use 98% or even 100% CPU. In these cases, the file does not run when the computer boot but within a period of 30 minutes, it slows down the entire system to a level where it cannot perform any task at all.
Is ekrn.exe a Virus/Malware?
In some cases, there are some malware that are disguised as ekrn.exe and are sent to computers. However, if the file is creating problems, it can be uninstalled from the system without causing no harm to the working of the computer.
Also, if you are not using ESET Antivirus software, and still notice that ekrn.exe is running on system’s background, then we strongly recommend to run a complete computer scan with good malware and antivirus.
How to Fix Ekrn.exe High CPU Usage?
If you are seeing Ekrn.exe high CPU issue and wanted a quick solution, then follow any one of the below steps:
- Update your ESET Software using ‘update’ option. You can visit ESET official website.
- In case, if you are using any firewall like Comodo or Zone Alaram, then make sure to update and keep latest version.
- Older version of Firewall are known to consume high CPU, thus it’s recommended to keep up-to-date Firewall software.
- If all above option doesn’t help, then you can try to remove ESET antivirus to get rid of ekrn.exe high memory usage error.
Common ekrn.exe Error Message
Following are common errors that you might see on your Windows system:
- ekrn.exe file is missing
- ekrn.exe high memory
- ekrn.exe failed to load
Other similar .exe files:
