Unknown Windows Accounts keep appearing

[Randy Packer 0]

For some time now, I've found new unknown accounts in my Windows 10 C:\Users folder. These user accounts do not appear in the User Accounts within Control Panel. I have removed these, but they keep returning under various unfamiliar names.  I ran a full antivirus scan which found 0 threats. I noticed that ESET creates phantom user accounts with its Anti-Theft protection in ESET Smart Security, but I've never installed Smart Security to my knowledge. I am concerned that these unknown accounts might be from an unknown, nefarious source that might compromise my system (installing a keystroke logger, accessing my email, my applications, my password wallet, etc.). I need to know if ESET has started creating unknown accounts within NOD32 or in any other fashion which explains what I'm experiencing.

[itman 1,659]

It depends on what the accounts are used for. If you "fool around" with certain Win OS settings like I do for example, the OS will create special user account folders to accommodate those settings.

Best you post a screen shot of your C:\User account folders. Whiteout any account folders related to yourself or other accounts you specifically created. Also state what Win OS version you are using.

[Randy Packer 0]

My apologies for being so long to respond. I removed all of the bogus accounts in Windows 10 using the User Accounts section of the Control Panel. The first several were named Patric, ETB User, GhostUser, and Temp. I then used Regedit to search for all occurrences of these user names and determined the SIDs for each of these users. I then went through the entire registry removing all references to these users that I could (changing permissions as needed where it was allowed. I removed the entire user profile from the C:\Users folder. I also went through my router firewall settings and tighten things up as much as I could. So far, no bogus users have been created since I completed these changes. Hopefully this will be the end of it. I was simply curious as to whether NOD32 had made any changes which create users and/or the accompanying user profile folders on disk in a manner similar to ESET's anti-theft functionality. I appreciate your response.