Unusual CMD window notification
Unusual CMD window notification
Recently my computer has been behaving oddly. I’ve seen the CMD window pop up briefly and disappear almost instantly, without any clear pattern. It’s not happening during startup. It seems to happen randomly throughout the day. I ran a virus scan, but it didn’t find anything. Also, my crypto wallet was compromised recently, so I’m extra cautious now.
Consider running a comprehensive system check using MalwareBytes. It’s safe even if no issues are found.
The only command prompt I’m familiar with appearing on a typical gaming PC is Radeon’s update tool, which activates only at midnight for me. Some business-grade AV systems perform this behavior similarly. Anything else seems unusual unless your machine has extra security software installed. The history of problems I’ve seen points toward a possible malicious activity.
Also, I receive a Ryzen Master update roughly every two weeks. A blank command prompt window appears with a title like "AMDSoftwareUpdate" and needs to be closed afterward.
Referenced earlier by @Needfuldoer, consider running a malware scan using MalrwareBytes. Also suggest performing a complete scan with Avast (free version). I've noticed it detecting issues that standard Windows scans and MalwareBytes miss.
Launch Task Manager, check the Startup section to identify any problematic entries. Review Scheduled Tasks via Start > Search > Task Scheduler to find recurring or daily tasks. Look for applications in the system tray near the clock; some may have auto-update set up or options that trigger updates automatically, sometimes resulting in a command prompt when an update attempt fails due to poor implementation.
I remained wary after the scans. In a prior job, a malicious tool slipped past five distinct checks using root privileges, and I had to locate it myself via Resource Monitor, which was buried deep in appdata. The same threat reappeared a few months later.