Quick Answer
conduit-agent.exe is safe. It is the official Conduit Agent Service that collects telemetry, inventories endpoints, and coordinates configuration in enterprise environments.
What is conduit-agent.exe?
conduit-agent.exe is the lightweight Windows service responsible for collecting system telemetry, inventory data, and configuration state for the Conduit platform. It runs in the background, communicating with Conduit Cloud to enable centralized management and policy enforcement.
The agent operates as a multi-threaded service that gathers hardware, software inventory, and health metrics, then securely transmits data via TLS to the central server, allowing rapid policy application and anomaly detection.
Quick Fact: Conduit Agent was designed to minimize CPU impact while providing near-real-time visibility into managed endpoints.
Types of Conduit Agent Processes
- Service Process: Main conduit-agent.exe service instance responsible for orchestration
- Telemetry Worker: Background thread that collects and packages telemetry data
- Inventory Collector: Scans installed software and hardware details
- Update Handler: Fetches and applies agent updates securely
- Sync Engine: Synchronizes configuration, policies, and inventory with the cloud
- Maintenance Runner: Performs cleanup and health checks on a schedule
Is conduit-agent Safe?
Yes, conduit-agent is safe when obtained from official Conduit sources and signed by Conduit Systems. It is designed for enterprise telemetry and orchestration.
Is conduit-agent a Virus or Malware?
The real conduit-agent is not a virus. Malware may imitate names; verify digital signature and installation path.
How to Tell if conduit-agent is Legitimate or Malware
- File Location: Must be in
C:\Program Files\Conduit\Agent\conduit-agent.exe or C:\Program Files (x86)\Conduit\Agent\conduit-agent.exe. Otherwise suspicious.
- Digital Signature: Right-click the file in Explorer -> Properties -> Digital Signatures. Should show "Conduit Systems".
- Resource Usage: Normal usage is 0.5-4% CPU and 25-70 MB memory. Bursts during updates are expected.
- Behavior: Agent should run as a service and only start when configured; unexpected startup with user login is suspicious.
Red Flags: If conduit-agent.exe is located outside the Conduit install folder, lacks a valid signature, or runs with no clear management console, scan with antivirus and verify the source. Look for similarly named files like "conduit-agentd.exe".
Why Is conduit-agent Running on My PC?
Conduit Agent runs to provide continuous visibility, policy enforcement, and orchestration for managed endpoints. It starts with Windows and operates in the background unless otherwise configured.
Reasons it's running:
- Active Telemetry and Health Checks: The agent collects performance counters, inventory, and health signals for centralized dashboards.
- Background Configuration Sync: Receives policy updates and configuration changes from Conduit Cloud without user interaction.
- Scheduled Maintenance Tasks: Performs routine cleanup, cache management, and log rotation on defined schedules.
- Startup and Auto-Launch: Configured to start at system boot to ensure immediate visibility and management.
- Remediation Orchestration: Executes orchestrated actions in response to alerts or policies from the control plane.
Can I Disable or Remove conduit-agent?
Yes, you can disable conduit-agent. You can stop its service or uninstall it if needed. Some deployments require it for monitoring, so plan accordingly.
How to Stop conduit-agent
- Stop Service: Open Services.msc, locate Conduit Agent Service, click Stop
- Disable Startup: In Services.msc, set Startup type to Disabled or use Task Manager to disable startup entry
- Quit Running Sessions: If the process remains, use Task Manager to end conduit-agent.exe
- Prevent Background Runs: In management console, disable continuous telemetry or background tasks
- Uninstall or Reconfigure: Use Apps & Features to uninstall; or reconfigure to minimal data collection
How to Uninstall Conduit Agent
- ✔ Windows Settings Apps Conduit Agent Uninstall
- ✔ Control Panel Programs Uninstall a program Conduit Agent Uninstall
- ✔ Delete residual data: C:\ProgramData\Conduit\Agent and C:\Program Files\Conduit\Agent
Common Problems: High CPU or Memory Usage
If conduit-agent.exe is consuming excessive resources:
Common Causes & Solutions
- Frequent inventory scans: Lower scan frequency in management console or config file; set to 15–60 minutes.
- High volume telemetry: Reduce payload size, enable compression, or adjust reporting intervals.
- Resource-heavy startup: Disable nonessential startup tasks or enable lazy initialization.
- Outdated agent: Update to latest conduit-agent version via management UI or manual installer.
- Network retries / connectivity issues: Check firewall, proxy, and TLS settings; ensure DNS resolution works.
- Corrupt local cache: Clear cache directory: C:\ProgramData\Conduit\Agent\Cache and restart service.
Quick Fixes:
1. Open Conduit Agent management console and review inventory scope
2. Restart the Conduit Agent Service
3. Reduce telemetry volume or disable nonessential checks
4. Update to the latest conduit-agent version
5. Check logs under C:\ProgramData\Conduit\Agent\Logs
Frequently Asked Questions
What is conduit-agent?
Conduit-agent.exe is the official agent service deployed by Conduit Systems to collect telemetry, inventory, and configuration data from endpoints and report to the Conduit Cloud.
Why does conduit-agent run at startup?
To ensure immediate visibility and policy enforcement, many deployments configure the agent to start on boot and operate in the background.
Is conduit-agent safe?
Yes, when installed from official sources and signed by Conduit Systems. Verify the path C:\Program Files\Conduit\Agent\conduit-agent.exe and signature in Digital Signatures.
Can I uninstall conduit-agent?
Yes, you can uninstall via Windows Settings > Apps or Control Panel, but consider replacing with a different monitoring solution if required.
Where are conduit-agent logs stored?
Logs are typically stored under C:\ProgramData\Conduit\Agent\Logs. Review recent entries for troubleshooting.
How do I update conduit-agent?
Update via the management console or run the provided updater in C:\Program Files\Conduit\Agent\updater.exe, then restart the service.