If you have come to this guide it is probably because you have seen the lsalso.exe process on your Windows computer consuming a lot of your CPU resources . Below, we have discussed what this process is all about and how to solve the high CPU usage issue in detail.
The topics of the post [ hide ]
- 1What is Lsalso.exe?
- 2Method 1: Finish the Process
- 3Method 2: Check for APCs in the queue
- 1Contact Microsoft Support
What is Lsalso.exe?
Lsalso.exe is an executable file associated with the Credential Guard and KeyGuard process and is developed by Microsoft. The process of this file typically runs in a secure environment called Virtual Secure Mode (VSM) as an Isolated User Mode (IUM ) process .
Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 changed the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) process, which handled security policies, user authentication and auditing, while also handling sensitive data such as hashed passwords and Kerberos keys.
This process is generally considered to be safe and essential, but it can sometimes cause problems such as high CPU usage within the system. This is typically caused by certain drivers and applications attempting to load a Dynamic Link Library (DLL) file into the IUM process. This can cause the system to become destabilized, causing the problem in question.
Method 1: Finish the Process
As mentioned above, some applications and drivers can load DLLs into the IUM process, resulting in a spike in CPU usage associated with lsalso.exe. The simplest solution to this is to eliminate the processes of these problematic applications and drivers and see if that fixes the problem.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Type taskmanager in the search area of the taskbar and click Open.
- Go to the Processes taband locate the application.
- Then, right-click on it and select End Task. Do the same with other potentially problematic applications.
- Then, launch Device Manager and locate the target drivers.
- Right-click on them and choose Uninstall Driverfrom the context menu and see if that makes a difference in the high CPU usage caused by lsalso.exe.
Method 2: Check for APCs in the queue
Microsoft has also developed several debugging tools for Windows users which you can find in both the Windows Driver Kit (WDK) and the Windows Driver Kit (WDK). If the above-mentioned method didn’t work for you, you can enlist the help of these free tools to check for problematic drivers.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Install the Windows Debugging Tool (WinDbg)from the Windows Driver Kit.
- Then, use NotMyFault.exe from the Sysinternals website to generate a kernel memory dump during the spike.
- To enable kernel memory, launch a Rundialog by pressing the Windows+ R keys together.
- Next, type control systemin the text field of the dialog box and press Enter.
- Click Advanced System Settings.
- Go to the Advanced tabin the System Properties dialog.
- Click the Settings buttonassociated with Startup and Recovery.
- Then, expand the drop-down menu and choose Kernel memory dump.
- Press OK. Note the location of the dump file here.
- Now go to the Start menu and click on the Windows Kit entry. Choose WinDbg (x64 / x86) to proceed.
- Click Fileand select Symbol File Path .
- Now, type https://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols for Microsoft Symbol Server in the Symbol path section.
- Click OKand access the File menu again.
- Choose Open Crash Dumpand browse to the location you noted in Step 9.
- Then click Open.
- Then, type ! Apcin the command window and hit Enter.
- After running the command, search for <ProblemDriver>.sys in LsaIso.exe.
- Contact the driver supplier now.
Contact Microsoft support
In most cases, one of the above methods should resolve the high CPU usage issue associated with lsalso.exe . However, if the problem persists even after following these methods, we strongly recommend that you contact the Microsoft support team and explain the problem to them.
Another thing you can try to do before contacting the Microsoft team is to restore Windows to its default state and see if that fixes the problem. There may be a bug or corruption error within the system causing high CPU usage. If it is not resolved by performing the above methods, system recovery is a great opportunity to absolutely try.
