Analysis of npcap.sys: clean verdict, risk score 27/100. 0 YARA matches, 0/76 multi-engine detections. SHA256 91e91ea4c9b48360. Kernel imports, IOCTL codes, MITRE ATT&CK, and code-signing details.
DriverShield analyzed the Windows kernel driver npcap.sys and assigned a verdict of Clean with a composite risk score of 27/100, indicating no notable risk signals (0-29 band).
| Verdict | Clean (27/100) |
| YARA matches | 0 |
| Multi-engine detections | 0 / 76 |
| File size | 81568 bytes |
| Code-signing signer | DigiCert Trusted G4 Code Signing RSA4096 SHA384 2021 CA1 |
| Analyzed | 2026-04-01 |
| SHA256 | 91e91ea4c9b48360282eb86ba7f4f0c7476b1666ccfc4a5f49eab91733cae850 |
| SHA1 | 4443cc8c1307c5325c183a052c606bbab148f80d |
| MD5 | 17664b0cf0cbaf104aa8f26a8ad1dc26 |
Version resource data embedded in the npcap.sys PE header, as extracted by the analysis engine.
| File description | npcap.sys (NT6 AMD64) Kernel Filter Driver |
|---|---|
| Product | Npcap |
| Company | Nmap Software LLC |
| Original filename | npcap.sys |
| Internal name | NPCAP |
| File version | 1.83 |
| Copyright | Copyright (c) 2025, Nmap Software LLC. 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 | 66 / 100 |
| Known-vulnerable corpus | 0 / 100 |
| Code-signing state | 0 / 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 npcap.sys, ranked by exploitation relevance.
| API | Risk | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| MmMapLockedPagesSpecifyCache | critical | Highly dangerous - potential for arbitrary code execution, memory corruption, or process termination |
| MmGetSystemRoutineAddress | high | Potentially dangerous - could be used for privilege escalation or security bypass |
| ObOpenObjectByPointer | medium | Moderate risk - system modification capability |
| ZwSetValueKey | medium | Moderate risk - system modification capability |
| ZwCreateKey | medium | Moderate risk - system modification capability |
| ObReferenceObjectByHandle | medium | Moderate risk - system modification capability |
| IoCreateDevice | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IoDeleteDevice | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| ZwQueryValueKey | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IoDeleteSymbolicLink | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| KeWaitForSingleObject | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| ZwOpenKey | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| KeSetEvent | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IoCreateSymbolicLink | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IofCompleteRequest | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| RtlInitUnicodeString | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IoCreateDeviceSecure | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| ExAllocatePoolWithTag | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| ZwClose | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0x0080868B | high | METHOD_NEITHER | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #418 |
| 0x0080B68B | high | METHOD_NEITHER | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #3490 |
| 0x00340033 | high | METHOD_NEITHER | FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #12 |
| 0x00343D07 | high | METHOD_NEITHER | FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #3905 |
| 0x0080BA4B | high | METHOD_NEITHER | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #3730 |
| 0x002200F0 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #60 |
| 0x0080FB15 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #3781 |
| 0x00801715 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #1477 |
| 0x008024BC | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #2351 |
| 0x0022BFE8 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #4090 |
| 0x0034CF15 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #965 |
| 0x00342315 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #2245 |
| 0x0080EC81 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #2848 |
| 0x0034002D | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #11 |
| 0x00340030 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #12 |
| 0x0034002C | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #11 |
| 0x0080248C | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #2339 |
| 0x008024B4 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #2349 |
| 0x00340358 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #214 |
| 0x00340036 | medium | METHOD_OUT_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #13 |
| 0x98768869 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | CUSTOM_PROCESS Function #538 |
| 0x00228024 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #9 |
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 | 0x8336 | 0x8400 | 6.34 | CODE, EXEC, READ |
| .rdata | 0x16EC | 0x1800 | 4.54 | IDATA, READ |
| .data | 0x0268 | 0x0400 | 1.32 | IDATA, READ, WRITE |
| .pdata | 0x05D0 | 0x0600 | 4.45 | IDATA, READ |
| PAGE | 0x1D0B | 0x1E00 | 6.13 | CODE, EXEC, READ |
| INIT | 0x1DE2 | 0x1E00 | 5.91 | CODE, EXEC, READ, DISCARD |
| .rsrc | 0x03B8 | 0x0400 | 3.18 | IDATA, READ, DISCARD |
| .reloc | 0x0040 | 0x0200 | 0.84 | IDATA, READ, DISCARD |
| Control Flow Guard | Enabled |
|---|---|
| ASLR | Enabled |
| DEP | Enabled |
| Integrity check | Not enforced |
| Mitigation score | 100 / 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 | Service Execution | Execution |
| T1652 | Device Driver Discovery | Discovery |
| Signer | DigiCert Trusted G4 Code Signing RSA4096 SHA384 2021 CA1 |
|---|---|
| Signer organisation | DigiCert, Inc. |
| Issuer | DigiCert Trusted Root G4 |
| Serial | 8AD40B260D29C4C9F5ECDA9BD93AED9 |
| Valid from | 2021-04-29 00:00 UTC |
| Valid until | 2036-04-28 23:59 UTC |
| Signature validity | Verified |
Engine angr, status completed, 100 paths explored at a maximum depth of 100. Vulnerability classes reached: 0. Exploitable paths: 0.
Based on DriverShield static and dynamic analysis, npcap.sys is assessed as clean, with no notable risk signals. Its composite risk score is 27/100 (verdict: clean). Always validate findings independently before acting.
npcap.sys has a DriverShield composite risk score of 27/100, placing it in the clean verdict band. SHA256: 91e91ea4c9b48360282eb86ba7f4f0c7476b1666ccfc4a5f49eab91733cae850.
npcap.sys is a Windows kernel-mode driver (.sys) analyzed by DriverShield for vulnerabilities, BYOVD abuse potential, and malware indicators. It is code-signed by DigiCert Trusted G4 Code Signing RSA4096 SHA384 2021 CA1.
Related: Other drivers signed by DigiCert Trusted G4 Code Signing RSA4096 SHA384 2021 CA1 · What an IOCTL dispatch code is · BYOVD research index · full driver database · CVE library · code signing atlas