Analysis of vmmemctl.sys: clean verdict, risk score 22/100. 0 YARA matches. SHA256 27606e9ebc265633. Kernel imports, IOCTL codes, MITRE ATT&CK, and code-signing details.
DriverShield analyzed the Windows kernel driver vmmemctl.sys and assigned a verdict of Clean with a composite risk score of 22/100, indicating no notable risk signals (0-29 band).
| Verdict | Clean (22/100) |
| YARA matches | 0 |
| File size | 42304 bytes |
| Code-signing signer | Symantec Time Stamping Services CA - G2 |
| Analyzed | 2026-03-22 |
| SHA256 | 27606e9ebc2656331cd56bba1879e6a063ea9901b511fa0c5060b3e3941fe991 |
| SHA1 | 5be7512fff7e9c41c3125e062344112401add575 |
| MD5 | 75197e7ead8e0cd487cf1a76567907bd |
Version resource data embedded in the vmmemctl.sys PE header, as extracted by the analysis engine.
| File description | VMware server memory controller |
|---|---|
| Product | VMware server memory controller |
| Company | VMware, Inc. |
| Original filename | vmmemctl.sys |
| Internal name | vmmemctl.sys |
| File version | 7.5.5.0 |
| Copyright | Copyright © 1998-2019 VMware, Inc. |
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 | 93 / 100 |
| IOCTL dispatch surface | 12 / 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 vmmemctl.sys, ranked by exploitation relevance.
| API | Risk | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| MmMapLockedPagesSpecifyCache | critical | Highly dangerous - potential for arbitrary code execution, memory corruption, or process termination |
| ObReferenceObjectByHandle | medium | Moderate risk - system modification capability |
| KeBugCheckEx | medium | Moderate risk - system modification capability |
| IoCreateSymbolicLink | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| DbgPrint | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| KeInitializeEvent | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| KeWaitForSingleObject | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IoCreateDevice | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| ExAllocatePoolWithTag | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| ZwClose | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IoDeleteDevice | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IoDeleteSymbolicLink | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| KeDelayExecutionThread | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| RtlInitUnicodeString | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IofCompleteRequest | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0x002200F0 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #60 |
| 0x00808689 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #418 |
| 0x00340350 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #212 |
| 0x00340031 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #12 |
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 | 0x23C7 | 0x2400 | 6.34 | CODE, EXEC, READ |
| .rdata | 0x071C | 0x0800 | 3.96 | IDATA, READ |
| .data | 0x0020 | 0x0200 | 0.32 | IDATA, READ, WRITE |
| .pdata | 0x0210 | 0x0400 | 2.38 | IDATA, READ |
| INIT | 0x0840 | 0x0A00 | 5.13 | CODE, EXEC, READ, DISCARD |
| .rsrc | 0x03B0 | 0x0400 | 3.13 | IDATA, READ, DISCARD |
| .reloc | 0x0014 | 0x0200 | 0.24 | 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 |
| T1211 | Exploitation for Defense Evasion | Defense Evasion |
| T1543.003 | Windows Service | Persistence |
| T1553.002 | Subvert Trust Controls: Code Signing | 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 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, vmmemctl.sys is assessed as clean, with no notable risk signals. Its composite risk score is 22/100 (verdict: clean). Always validate findings independently before acting.
vmmemctl.sys has a DriverShield composite risk score of 22/100, placing it in the clean verdict band. SHA256: 27606e9ebc2656331cd56bba1879e6a063ea9901b511fa0c5060b3e3941fe991.
vmmemctl.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 · BYOVD research index · full driver database · CVE library · code signing atlas