Kernel.sys - Clean (15/100) - DriverShield Analysis

Analysis of Kernel.sys: clean verdict, risk score 15/100. 0 YARA matches, 9/75 multi-engine detections. SHA256 8814926684c6990b. Kernel imports, IOCTL codes, MITRE ATT&CK, and code-signing details.

Kernel.sys - Analysis Report

DriverShield analyzed the Windows kernel driver Kernel.sys and assigned a verdict of Clean with a composite risk score of 15/100, indicating no notable risk signals (0-29 band).

Verdict	Clean (15/100)
YARA matches	0
Multi-engine detections	9 / 75
File size	9728 bytes
Analyzed	2026-08-05
SHA256	8814926684c6990bb81734c9bf007e0960b59f0200ab44c855a9bbcd0be38653
SHA1	fafdd75b15d6095f906c8c84562d415c134b1325
MD5	7b8297ad5198d4a0ccff0e5665b1177b

How the 15/100 score breaks down

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	63 / 100
IOCTL dispatch surface	9 / 100
Known-vulnerable corpus	0 / 100
Code-signing state	50 / 100
Packing and entropy	0 / 100
Dynamic behaviour	0 / 100
CVE cross-reference	0 / 100

Kernel imports (8)

Kernel-mode APIs resolved from the Import Address Table of Kernel.sys, ranked by exploitation relevance.

API	Risk	Why it matters
PsLookupProcessByProcessId	high	Potentially dangerous - could be used for privilege escalation or security bypass
IoDeleteDevice	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
IoDeleteSymbolicLink	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
RtlInitUnicodeString	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
IoCreateSymbolicLink	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
DbgPrint	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
IoCreateDevice	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
IofCompleteRequest	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign

IOCTL dispatch codes (3)

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
0x0080840F	high	METHOD_NEITHER	FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #259
0x002200F0	medium	METHOD_BUFFERED	FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #60
0x0034006E	medium	METHOD_OUT_DIRECT	FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #27

PE sections

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	0x0D4B	0x0E00	5.93	CODE, EXEC, READ
.rdata	0x06E8	0x0800	2.79	IDATA, READ
.data	0x0288	0x0400	1.93	IDATA, READ, WRITE
.pdata	0x00E4	0x0200	1.87	IDATA, READ
INIT	0x0228	0x0400	2.89	CODE, EXEC, READ, DISCARD
.reloc	0x0024	0x0200	0.53	IDATA, READ, DISCARD

Exploit mitigations

Control Flow Guard	Enabled
ASLR	Enabled
DEP	Enabled
Integrity check	Not enforced
Mitigation score	80 / 100

CFG Enabled - Control Flow Guard is active - indirect calls are validated against a bitmap of valid targets at runtime.
ASLR Enabled - Address Space Layout Randomization is active - base address is randomized on each load.
DEP/NX Enabled - Data Execution Prevention is active - non-executable pages cannot be executed.
Unsigned - The driver is not digitally signed. It requires test signing mode or a bootloader exploit to load on 64-bit Windows.

MITRE ATT&CK techniques (7)

Techniques this driver could enable if loaded by an adversary.

ID	Technique	Tactic
T1055.001	Process Injection: DLL Injection	Defense Evasion
T1489	Service Stop	Impact
T1543.003	Windows Service	Persistence
T1553.006	Code Signing Policy Modification	Defense Evasion
T1562.001	Impair Defenses: Disable/Modify Tools	Defense Evasion
T1569.002	Service Execution	Execution
T1652	Device Driver Discovery	Discovery

Symbolic execution

Engine angr, status completed, 7 paths explored at a maximum depth of 7. Vulnerability classes reached: 0. Exploitable paths: 0.

Frequently asked questions about Kernel.sys

Is Kernel.sys safe?

Based on DriverShield static and dynamic analysis, Kernel.sys is assessed as clean, with no notable risk signals. Its composite risk score is 15/100 (verdict: clean). Always validate findings independently before acting.

What is the risk score of Kernel.sys?

Kernel.sys has a DriverShield composite risk score of 15/100, placing it in the clean verdict band. SHA256: 8814926684c6990bb81734c9bf007e0960b59f0200ab44c855a9bbcd0be38653.

What is Kernel.sys?

Kernel.sys is a Windows kernel-mode driver (.sys) analyzed by DriverShield for vulnerabilities, BYOVD abuse potential, and malware indicators.