The file pagent.exe, known as PuTTY SSH authentication agent, belongs to software puTTY suite. This application is an open source emulator (or terminal emulator) that works with Telnet and SSH (Secure Shell). SSH is a cryptographic network protocol that allows data to be exchanged using a secure channel between two networked devices, while Telnet network protocol allows a user on one computer to log on to another computer that is part of the same network. Telnet and SSH are both protocols on the Internet and LAN that provide two directional text communication facility from a virtual terminal. The open source puTTY suite utility is compatible with Windows, Unix, Mac Classic, and Mac OS X operating systems. Its features include control of SSH key encryptions, client availability for SCP and SFTP, hosts and preference storage, port-forwarding control in SSH, support for DES, Blowfish, Arcfour and AES, an iPv6 support, and support for serial port connections.
How can I stop pagent.exe and should I?
Most non-system processes that are running can be stopped because they are not involved in running your operating system. pagent.exe. is used by puTTY suite, If you shut down pagent.exe, it will likely start again at a later time either after you restart your computer or after an application start. To stop pagent.exe, permanently you need to uninstall the application that runs this process which in this case is puTTY suite, from your system.
After uninstalling applications it is a good idea to scan you Windows registry for any left over traces of applications. Registry Reviver by ReviverSoft is a great tool for doing this.
Is this a virus or other security concern?
ReviverSoft Security Verdict
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What is a process and how do they affect my computer?
A process usually a part of an installed application such as puTTY suite, or your operating system that is responsible for running in functions of that application. Some application require that they have processes running all the time so they can do things such as check for updates or notify you when you get an instant message. Some poorly written applications have many processes that run that may not be required and take up valuable processing power within your computer.
Is pagent.exe known to be bad for my computer's performance?
We have not received any complaint about this process having higher than normal impact on PC performance. If you have had bad experiences with it please let us know in a comment below and we will investigate it further.
What can I do if pagent.exe is causing errors on my computer?
The first thing you should do if pagent.exe. is causing errors on your computer is to run a Windows registry scan with Registry Reviver If you are still seeing errors after this you should uninstall the program that pagent.exe, belongs to, in this case puTTY suite