Analysis of ardrv_8.sys: malicious verdict, risk score 88/100. 2 YARA matches, 1/74 multi-engine detections. SHA256 34ad901b4fea05da. Kernel imports, IOCTL codes, MITRE ATT&CK, and code-signing details.
DriverShield analyzed the Windows kernel driver ardrv_8.sys and assigned a verdict of Malicious with a composite risk score of 88/100, indicating malicious indicators (80-100 band).
| Verdict | Malicious (88/100) |
| YARA matches | 2 |
| Multi-engine detections | 1 / 74 |
| File size | 17744 bytes |
| Code-signing signer | Symantec Time Stamping Services CA - G2 |
| Analyzed | 2026-09-06 |
| SHA256 | 34ad901b4fea05da301ebb619fa48cfac058720e41db71b3fca1c47763bae066 |
| SHA1 | 029430fcfc45dc1fda080af6b429e5f48fc8216f |
| MD5 | 3226c85fee6897a798a566aeb9d0b2f0 |
Version resource data embedded in the ardrv_8.sys PE header, as extracted by the analysis engine.
| File description | AppRemover Driver |
|---|---|
| Product | AppRemover Driver |
| Company | OPSWAT, Inc. |
| Original filename | ardrv.sys |
| Internal name | ardrv.sys |
| File version | 2018.03.22.0625 |
| Copyright | © OPSWAT, Inc. All rights reserved. |
Each component is scored 0-100 and then weighted into the composite. See the analysis methodology for the exact formula.
| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| Multi-engine consensus | 0 / 100 |
| YARA signature matches | 100 / 100 |
| Dangerous kernel imports | 100 / 100 |
| IOCTL dispatch surface | 60 / 100 |
| Known-vulnerable corpus | 100 / 100 |
| Code-signing state | 80 / 100 |
| Packing and entropy | 0 / 100 |
| Dynamic behaviour | 0 / 100 |
| CVE cross-reference | 0 / 100 |
Kernel-mode APIs resolved from the Import Address Table of ardrv_8.sys, ranked by exploitation relevance.
| API | Risk | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| ZwTerminateProcess | critical | Highly dangerous - potential for arbitrary code execution, memory corruption, or process termination |
| KeAttachProcess | high | Potentially dangerous - could be used for privilege escalation or security bypass |
| PsLookupProcessByProcessId | high | Potentially dangerous - could be used for privilege escalation or security bypass |
| ObReferenceObjectByHandle | medium | Moderate risk - system modification capability |
| ZwSetValueKey | medium | Moderate risk - system modification capability |
| ZwSetInformationFile | medium | Moderate risk - system modification capability |
| KeBugCheckEx | medium | Moderate risk - system modification capability |
| ObOpenObjectByPointer | medium | Moderate risk - system modification capability |
| ZwQueryInformationFile | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| ZwOpenKey | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IoCreateDevice | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IoDeleteDevice | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IofCompleteRequest | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| ProbeForWrite | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IoDeleteSymbolicLink | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| RtlInitUnicodeString | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| DbgPrint | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| ZwClose | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IoCreateSymbolicLink | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
Control codes reachable through the driver dispatch routine. Codes tied to published exploit code are flagged, since they are the primary Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) entry points.
| Code | Severity | Transfer | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0x00222000 | medium (known exploit) | METHOD_BUFFERED | Driver communication init |
| 0x002200F0 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #60 |
| 0x0080C481 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #288 |
| 0x0022B941 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #3664 |
| 0x00340300 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #192 |
Section layout and Shannon entropy. High entropy in a code section is a packing or encryption indicator.
| Section | Virtual size | Raw size | Entropy | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .text | 0x0EED | 0x1000 | 5.69 | CODE, EXEC, READ |
| .rdata | 0x0224 | 0x0400 | 2.49 | IDATA, READ |
| .data | 0x0110 | 0x0200 | 0.3 | IDATA, READ, WRITE |
| .pdata | 0x009C | 0x0200 | 1.39 | IDATA, READ |
| INIT | 0x0440 | 0x0600 | 4.05 | CODE, EXEC, READ, WRITE, DISCARD |
| .rsrc | 0x0360 | 0x0400 | 2.92 | IDATA, READ, DISCARD |
| Control Flow Guard | Not enabled |
|---|---|
| ASLR | Not enabled |
| DEP | Not enabled |
| Integrity check | Not enforced |
| Mitigation score | 5 / 100 |
| Rule | Severity | Detects |
|---|---|---|
| BYOVD_ProcKill | critical | Process termination EDR killer |
| MAL_EDRKiller | critical | Generic EDR killer pattern |
Techniques this driver could enable if loaded by an adversary.
| ID | Technique | Tactic |
|---|---|---|
| T1055.001 | Process Injection: DLL Injection | Defense Evasion |
| T1068 | Exploitation for Privilege Escalation | Privilege Escalation |
| T1071 | Application Layer Protocol | Command and Control |
| T1489 | Service Stop | Impact |
| T1543.003 | Windows Service | Persistence |
| T1562.001 | Disable/Modify Tools | Defense Evasion |
| T1569.002 | Service Execution | Execution |
| T1652 | Device Driver Discovery | Discovery |
| Signer | Symantec Time Stamping Services CA - G2 |
|---|---|
| Signer organisation | Symantec Corporation |
| Issuer | Thawte Timestamping CA |
| Serial | 7E93EBFB7CC64E59EA4B9A77D406FC3B |
| Valid from | 2012-12-21 00:00 UTC |
| Valid until | 2020-12-30 23:59 UTC (expired) |
| Signature validity | Not verified |
Engine angr, status completed, 38 paths explored at a maximum depth of 38. Vulnerability classes reached: 0. Exploitable paths: 0.
Corpus match: this hash is present in the known-vulnerable driver corpus DriverShield cross-references during analysis, which is why the score carries a full weighting on that component.
Based on DriverShield static and dynamic analysis, ardrv_8.sys is flagged as malicious and should be treated as dangerous. Its composite risk score is 88/100 (verdict: malicious). Always validate findings independently before acting.
ardrv_8.sys has a DriverShield composite risk score of 88/100, placing it in the malicious verdict band. SHA256: 34ad901b4fea05da301ebb619fa48cfac058720e41db71b3fca1c47763bae066.
ardrv_8.sys is a Windows kernel-mode driver (.sys) analyzed by DriverShield for vulnerabilities, BYOVD abuse potential, and malware indicators. It is code-signed by Symantec Time Stamping Services CA - G2.
Related: Other drivers signed by Symantec Time Stamping Services CA - G2 · What an IOCTL dispatch code is · How YARA matching feeds the score · BYOVD research index · full driver database · CVE library · code signing atlas