processescan

ProcessScan is a term used to describe a software tool or methodology for scanning and analyzing running processes on computing devices to monitor performance, security, and compliance. It collects data about processes, their hierarchies, resource usage, and interactions.

It is designed to operate across major platforms, including Windows, Linux, and macOS, and can be deployed as a standalone utility or as an agent-based solution within an enterprise monitoring stack. The core goal is to provide visibility into process activity and to support incident response, capacity planning, and regulatory auditing.

Core capabilities typically include enumerating the process table, retrieving command lines and environment variables, mapping parent-child relationships, enumerating open files and network connections, listing loaded modules or DLLs, and recording CPU, memory, I/O statistics. Some implementations add real-time monitoring, historical logging, anomaly detection, and automated reporting in JSON, CSV, or HTML formats.

Usage patterns involve installing or enabling the agent, configuring scan frequency, and setting alert thresholds. Operators can perform targeted scans for suspicious processes, schedule regular health checks, and integrate outputs with SIEMs or dashboards. Privacy and security considerations include maintaining minimum necessary privileges and securing data in transit.

The concept emerged in the broader field of system monitoring and process analysis; modern variants emphasize lightweight operation and integration with security information and event management tools. As with any monitoring tool, effectiveness depends on proper configuration, calibration to the environment, and ongoing maintenance.

Related terms include process monitoring, process explorer, sysmon, osquery, and process mining.