Host process for windows tasks is using the webcam

Anonymous
2017-10-28T07:57:44+00:00

Since the update to 1709 I keep getting every few hours “Host process for windows tasks is using the webcam”.

Is this safe and normal?

I have the HP Envy running windows 10 pro.

Regards

Stan.

Moved from: (Windows / Windows 10 / Security & privacy)

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Devices and drivers

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2017-10-31T20:32:11+00:00

Hi all... Update

I have Kaspersky internet security and it's that is displaying the report so If you have Kaspersky internet security that telling you the web cam is been used so this is what I did: -

Go to windows settings… Privacy… Camera…  then I turned off “Let apps use my camera hardware” and up to now it’s never reported web cam been used up to now after about 10 hours.

hope that helps us all.

regards

Stan.

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-05-01T02:15:20+00:00

    For me, it's a Kaspersky notification that a process is using the webcam.  Have kept that feature enabled but for now no one is using the camera.  Perhaps my settings for camera have finally taken hold.

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-06-03T12:27:29+00:00

    I HAVE EROTE TO MICROSOFT SUPPORT ABOUT THIS **** CAM PROBLEM ,AND I THINK YOU ALL SHOULD COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS, tHIS IS A MATTER OF MORE THAN PRIVACY,ITS INVASION OF IT.

    yOU COULD BE NUDE WHWN THAT CAM OPENS UP ETC, THIS IS BS AND I DONT LIKE IT,COMPLAIN ABOUT IT,SO THEY FIX THIS.THANK YOU

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-08-15T23:48:46+00:00

    I experienced the same warning using ESET Internet Security - Microsoft wanting to 'phone home' with the webcam every time I started the computer after performing an upgrade.

    As mentioned by someone here with an earlier post, the solution to stop this was to Open up Task Scheduler, navigate to Microsoft-Windows-Device Info and disable the task called 'Device'.

    I looked into this further: Apparently it launches a program called devicecensus.exe

    You can test this by manually running %windir%\system32\devicecensus.exe .... if what I'm saying is correct for you - and you still have your firewall enabled you will most likely get a popup within a second saying that a device attempted to access the webcam.

    For some reason, Microsoft appears to be doing a census / survey on all our devices and hardware on a daily basis at 1am local time, otherwise it launches when the computer is next turned on.

    The good news is that it seems as though it's not a virus or malware, and it's a "legit" application by Microsoft that's attempting to access the webcam.

    The bad news is that Microsoft appears to be installing an ever increasing number of services or functionality into Windows that consistently monitors us and transmits data back to their servers.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-09-02T10:01:41+00:00

    Same problem for me also

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