Disabling Unnecessary Services in Windows, macOS, and Linux (Vocabulary Flashcards)

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key concepts, terms, and commands related to managing and disabling unnecessary services across Windows, macOS, and Linux. Each card defines a term and its meaning based on the lecture notes.

Service

A background program that runs in the operating system to perform tasks (e.g., print spooler).

Windows Services (services.msc)

The Windows management console used to view and manage services, including their status and startup type.

Windows Update service (wuauserv)

The Windows service that detects, downloads, and installs Windows and other program updates; often set to Automatic startup.

Startup type: Automatic

A setting where a service starts automatically when the OS boots.

Startup type: Manual

A setting where a service starts only when explicitly started by a user or another process.

Startup type: Disabled

A setting that prevents a service from starting, even at boot.

Stop

Action to halt a currently running service.

Disable (service)

Action to prevent a service from starting automatically after a reboot.

Patch management system

An enterprise method to distribute and apply updates to endpoints instead of using Windows Update on every machine.

sc stop

Windows command-line utility to stop a specific service by name.

net stop

Windows command-line command to stop a specific service by name.

WUAUSERV (Windows Update service name)

The service name used in commands to refer to the Windows Update service.

Activity Monitor (macOS)

macOS utility under Applications > Utilities to view and manage running processes.

Force Quit (macOS)

macOS option to immediately terminate an application or process.

Top

Unix-like command that lists currently running processes and their PIDs.

PID (Process ID)

The numeric identifier assigned to a running process.

Kill

Unix/Linux command used to terminate a process by its PID.

Terminal (macOS/Linux)

The command-line interface used to run shell commands on macOS and Linux.

Process

A running instance of a program; in the notes, processes are described as services when running in the background.

Print Spooler

A Windows service that manages print jobs; can be disabled if not in use.

Malware as a Service (concept)

Malicious software that registers as a service to persist or evade detection; can be stopped and disabled.