Analysis of werkernel.sys: clean verdict, risk score 26/100. 0 YARA matches. SHA256 30567141831f9990. Kernel imports, IOCTL codes, MITRE ATT&CK, and code-signing details.
DriverShield analyzed the Windows kernel driver werkernel.sys and assigned a verdict of Clean with a composite risk score of 26/100, indicating no notable risk signals (0-29 band).
| Verdict | Clean (26/100) |
| YARA matches | 0 |
| File size | 54664 bytes |
| Code-signing signer | Microsoft Windows |
| Analyzed | 2026-03-22 |
| SHA256 | 30567141831f99903fec271f51d98b9111b8d70cd0c2ae204f7d6e2463006a91 |
| SHA1 | 1f30fb6fc1b2ced834c65428c3a44600b96821fa |
| MD5 | e36eaa6b26eb83ff3f8129cb96dd746d |
Version resource data embedded in the werkernel.sys PE header, as extracted by the analysis engine.
| File description | Windows Error Reporting Kernel Driver |
|---|---|
| Product | Microsoft® Windows® Operating System |
| Company | Microsoft Corporation |
| Original filename | werkernel.sys |
| Internal name | werkernel |
| File version | 10.0.19041.4474 (WinBuild.160101.0800) |
| Copyright | © Microsoft Corporation. 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 | 0 / 100 |
| Dangerous kernel imports | 100 / 100 |
| IOCTL dispatch surface | 27 / 100 |
| Known-vulnerable corpus | 0 / 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 werkernel.sys, ranked by exploitation relevance.
| API | Risk | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| ZwMapViewOfSection | critical | Highly dangerous - potential for arbitrary code execution, memory corruption, or process termination |
| ZwSetValueKey | medium | Moderate risk - system modification capability |
| ZwCreateKey | medium | Moderate risk - system modification capability |
| ObReferenceObjectByHandle | medium | Moderate risk - system modification capability |
| ZwQuerySystemInformation | medium | Moderate risk - system modification capability |
| ZwDeleteKey | medium | Moderate risk - system modification capability |
| ZwQueryValueKey | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| RtlInitUnicodeString | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| ZwOpenFile | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| ExAllocatePoolWithTag | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| DbgPrintEx | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| ZwClose | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| ZwOpenKey | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0x0080858B | high | METHOD_NEITHER | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #354 |
| 0x002200F0 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #60 |
| 0x0022011C | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #71 |
| 0x0080E281 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #2208 |
| 0x0080EC81 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #2848 |
| 0x0080249C | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #2343 |
| 0x0034E045 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #2065 |
| 0x003403B4 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #237 |
| 0x0034002E | medium | METHOD_OUT_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #11 |
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 | 0x0CA9 | 0x0E00 | 5.78 | CODE, EXEC, READ |
| .rdata | 0x3000 | 0x3000 | 5.27 | IDATA, READ |
| .data | 0x0320 | 0x0400 | 0.73 | IDATA, READ, WRITE |
| .pdata | 0x0330 | 0x0400 | 3.58 | IDATA, READ |
| .idata | 0x09B6 | 0x0A00 | 4.4 | IDATA, READ |
| PAGE | 0x3FFF | 0x4000 | 6.17 | CODE, EXEC, READ |
| .edata | 0x0149 | 0x0200 | 3.5 | IDATA, READ |
| INIT | 0x0BF2 | 0x0C00 | 6.16 | CODE, EXEC, READ, DISCARD |
| GFIDS | 0x003C | 0x0200 | 0.59 | IDATA, READ, DISCARD |
| .rsrc | 0x0418 | 0x0600 | 2.51 | IDATA, READ, DISCARD |
| .reloc | 0x04C0 | 0x0600 | 4.29 | IDATA, READ, DISCARD |
| Control Flow Guard | Enabled |
|---|---|
| ASLR | Enabled |
| DEP | Enabled |
| Integrity check | Not enforced |
| Mitigation score | 85 / 100 |
Techniques this driver could enable if loaded by an adversary.
| ID | Technique | Tactic |
|---|---|---|
| T1003.001 | OS Credential Dumping: LSASS Memory | Credential Access |
| T1055.012 | Process Hollowing | Defense Evasion |
| T1068 | Exploitation for Privilege Escalation | Privilege Escalation |
| T1071 | Application Layer Protocol | Command and Control |
| T1112 | Modify Registry | Defense Evasion |
| T1211 | Exploitation for Defense Evasion | Defense Evasion |
| T1543.003 | Windows Service | Persistence |
| T1547.001 | Registry Run Keys | Persistence |
| T1553.002 | Subvert Trust Controls: Code Signing | Defense Evasion |
| T1569.002 | System Services: Service Execution | Execution |
| T1652 | Device Driver Discovery | Discovery |
| Signer | Microsoft Windows |
|---|---|
| Signer organisation | Microsoft Corporation |
| Issuer | Microsoft Windows Production PCA 2011 |
| Serial | 330000045FF3C96C1A7FF7DA1D00000000045F |
| Valid from | 2023-11-16 19:20 UTC |
| Valid until | 2024-11-14 19:20 UTC (expired) |
| Signature validity | Not verified |
Engine angr, status no_findings, 0 paths explored at a maximum depth of 0. Vulnerability classes reached: 0. Exploitable paths: 0.
Based on DriverShield static and dynamic analysis, werkernel.sys is assessed as clean, with no notable risk signals. Its composite risk score is 26/100 (verdict: clean). Always validate findings independently before acting.
werkernel.sys has a DriverShield composite risk score of 26/100, placing it in the clean verdict band. SHA256: 30567141831f99903fec271f51d98b9111b8d70cd0c2ae204f7d6e2463006a91.
werkernel.sys is a Windows kernel-mode driver (.sys) analyzed by DriverShield for vulnerabilities, BYOVD abuse potential, and malware indicators. It is code-signed by Microsoft Windows.
Related: Other drivers signed by Microsoft Windows · What an IOCTL dispatch code is · BYOVD research index · full driver database · CVE library · code signing atlas