Analysis of cnghwassist.sys: clean verdict, risk score 23/100. 0 YARA matches. SHA256 a06b8002e7a70889. Kernel imports, IOCTL codes, MITRE ATT&CK, and code-signing details.
DriverShield analyzed the Windows kernel driver cnghwassist.sys and assigned a verdict of Clean with a composite risk score of 23/100, indicating no notable risk signals (0-29 band).
| Verdict | Clean (23/100) |
| YARA matches | 0 |
| File size | 40968 bytes |
| Code-signing signer | Microsoft Windows |
| Analyzed | 2026-03-22 |
| SHA256 | a06b8002e7a708890222c777ddf8b67fed7015c0943c1fc4f9036e9f9dc14494 |
| SHA1 | b5276d228f40a0ae12c2ec14e664a4e0c3b0f056 |
| MD5 | a46b4d1484227900f7615fe2a569d828 |
Version resource data embedded in the cnghwassist.sys PE header, as extracted by the analysis engine.
| File description | CNG Hardware Assist algorithm provider |
|---|---|
| Product | Microsoft® Windows® Operating System |
| Company | Microsoft Corporation |
| Original filename | CngHwAssist.sys |
| Internal name | CngHwAssist.sys |
| File version | 10.0.19041.1 (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 | 75 / 100 |
| IOCTL dispatch surface | 42 / 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 cnghwassist.sys, ranked by exploitation relevance.
| API | Risk | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| MmGetSystemRoutineAddress | high | Potentially dangerous - could be used for privilege escalation or security bypass |
| IoGetDeviceObjectPointer | medium | Moderate risk - system modification capability |
| ObReferenceObjectByHandle | medium | Moderate risk - system modification capability |
| KeSetEvent | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| ZwQueryValueKey | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| ZwClose | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IofCompleteRequest | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IoDeleteDevice | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| KeInitializeEvent | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| ExAllocatePoolWithTag | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| ZwOpenKey | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IoBuildDeviceIoControlRequest | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| KeWaitForSingleObject | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| RtlInitUnicodeString | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IoCreateDevice | 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 |
| 0x0080918B | high | METHOD_NEITHER | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #1122 |
| 0x0080838B | high | METHOD_NEITHER | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #226 |
| 0x00808B8B | high | METHOD_NEITHER | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #738 |
| 0x00220007 | high | METHOD_NEITHER | FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #1 |
| 0x002200F0 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #60 |
| 0x00802484 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #2337 |
| 0x00228348 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #210 |
| 0x00808789 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #482 |
| 0x0080BB89 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #3810 |
| 0x0080B389 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #3298 |
| 0x0080EC81 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #2848 |
| 0x00808389 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #226 |
| 0x003403BC | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #239 |
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 | 0x3229 | 0x3400 | 6.05 | CODE, EXEC, READ |
| .rdata | 0x0E80 | 0x1000 | 4.24 | IDATA, READ |
| .data | 0x0920 | 0x0200 | 0.74 | IDATA, READ, WRITE |
| .pdata | 0x03B4 | 0x0400 | 4.06 | IDATA, READ |
| .idata | 0x09CA | 0x0A00 | 4.49 | IDATA, READ |
| PAGE | 0x15E7 | 0x1600 | 6.22 | CODE, EXEC, READ |
| INIT | 0x03A2 | 0x0400 | 5.57 | CODE, EXEC, READ, DISCARD |
| GFIDS | 0x005C | 0x0200 | 0.81 | IDATA, READ, DISCARD |
| .rsrc | 0x05F8 | 0x0600 | 3.25 | IDATA, READ, DISCARD |
| .reloc | 0x02FC | 0x0400 | 4.37 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Microsoft Windows |
|---|---|
| Signer organisation | Microsoft Corporation |
| Issuer | Microsoft Windows Production PCA 2011 |
| Serial | 330000023241FB59996DCC4DFF000000000232 |
| Valid from | 2019-05-02 21:24 UTC |
| Valid until | 2020-05-02 21:24 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, cnghwassist.sys is assessed as clean, with no notable risk signals. Its composite risk score is 23/100 (verdict: clean). Always validate findings independently before acting.
cnghwassist.sys has a DriverShield composite risk score of 23/100, placing it in the clean verdict band. SHA256: a06b8002e7a708890222c777ddf8b67fed7015c0943c1fc4f9036e9f9dc14494.
cnghwassist.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