Analysis of nscm.sys: clean verdict, risk score 27/100. 2 YARA matches, 1/76 multi-engine detections. SHA256 0f726d8ce21c0c9e. Kernel imports, IOCTL codes, MITRE ATT&CK, and code-signing details.
DriverShield analyzed the Windows kernel driver nscm.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 | 2 |
| Multi-engine detections | 1 / 76 |
| File size | 40968 bytes |
| Code-signing signer | Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility Publisher |
| Analyzed | 2026-09-06 |
| SHA256 | 0f726d8ce21c0c9e01ebe6b55913c519ad6086bcaec1a89f8308f3effacd435f |
| SHA1 | 3a5d176c50f97b71d139767ed795d178623f491d |
| MD5 | 98637b5e724ad6fdf30791f0b0d15c91 |
Version resource data embedded in the nscm.sys PE header, as extracted by the analysis engine.
| File description | XTier Security Context Manager |
|---|---|
| Product | Micro Focus XTier |
| Company | Micro Focus |
| Original filename | nscm.sys |
| File version | 3.1.12.0 |
| Copyright | (C) Copyright 2000-2017, Micro Focus. 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 | 10 / 100 |
| Dangerous kernel imports | 100 / 100 |
| IOCTL dispatch surface | 30 / 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 nscm.sys, ranked by exploitation relevance.
| API | Risk | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| PsLookupProcessByProcessId | high | Potentially dangerous - could be used for privilege escalation or security bypass |
| PsSetCreateProcessNotifyRoutine | high | Potentially dangerous - could be used for privilege escalation or security bypass |
| ZwOpenProcess | high | Potentially dangerous - could be used for privilege escalation or security bypass |
| KeBugCheckEx | medium | Moderate risk - system modification capability |
| IoCreateDevice | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| KeWaitForSingleObject | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IoDeleteDevice | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| DbgPrint | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0x002200F0 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #60 |
| 0x0080249C | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #2343 |
| 0x008024AC | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #2347 |
| 0x0022B315 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #3269 |
| 0x00802484 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #2337 |
| 0x0080248C | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #2339 |
| 0x00802494 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #2341 |
| 0x00222B0D | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #2755 |
| 0x008024B4 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #2349 |
| 0x00340300 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #192 |
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 | 0x5A66 | 0x5C00 | 5.96 | CODE, EXEC, READ |
| .rdata | 0x0594 | 0x0600 | 5.31 | IDATA, READ |
| .data | 0x05A8 | 0x0200 | 1.45 | IDATA, READ, WRITE |
| .pdata | 0x0450 | 0x0600 | 3.3 | IDATA, READ |
| .edata | 0x0063 | 0x0200 | 1.1 | IDATA, READ |
| INIT | 0x04E0 | 0x0600 | 4.65 | CODE, EXEC, READ, WRITE, DISCARD |
| .rsrc | 0x0360 | 0x0400 | 2.88 | IDATA, READ, DISCARD |
| .reloc | 0x0048 | 0x0200 | 0.25 | IDATA, READ, DISCARD |
| Control Flow Guard | Not enabled |
|---|---|
| ASLR | Not enabled |
| DEP | Not enabled |
| Integrity check | Not enforced |
| Mitigation score | 5 / 100 |
| Rule | Severity | Detects |
|---|---|---|
| PUA_VULN_Driver_Microfocus_Microfocusxtier_5351 | medium | Detects vulnerable driver mentioned in known-vulnerable driver corpus project using VersionInfo values from the PE header - nscm.sys. Investigate matches in context: expected filenames or standard ven... |
| SUSP_Callbacks | medium | Kernel callback registration |
Techniques this driver could enable if loaded by an adversary.
| ID | Technique | Tactic |
|---|---|---|
| T1014 | Rootkit | Defense Evasion |
| T1055.001 | Process Injection: DLL Injection | Defense Evasion |
| T1071 | Application Layer Protocol | Command and Control |
| T1112 | Modify Registry | Defense Evasion |
| T1211 | Exploitation for Defense Evasion | Defense Evasion |
| T1489 | Service Stop | Impact |
| T1543.003 | Windows Service | Persistence |
| T1547.001 | Registry Run Keys | Persistence |
| T1553.002 | Subvert Trust Controls: Code Signing | Defense Evasion |
| T1562.001 | Impair Defenses: Disable/Modify Tools | Defense Evasion |
| T1562.006 | Indicator Blocking | Defense Evasion |
| T1564.001 | Hidden Files and Directories | Defense Evasion |
| T1569.002 | Service Execution | Execution |
| T1652 | Device Driver Discovery | Discovery |
| Signer | Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility Publisher |
|---|---|
| Signer organisation | Microsoft Corporation |
| Issuer | Microsoft Windows Third Party Component CA 2014 |
| Serial | 33000000433A68189E33902987000000000043 |
| Valid from | 2020-12-15 22:25 UTC |
| Valid until | 2021-12-02 22:25 UTC (expired) |
| Signature validity | Not verified |
Engine angr, status completed, 12 paths explored at a maximum depth of 12. Vulnerability classes reached: 1. Exploitable paths: 0.
Based on DriverShield static and dynamic analysis, nscm.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.
nscm.sys has a DriverShield composite risk score of 27/100, placing it in the clean verdict band. SHA256: 0f726d8ce21c0c9e01ebe6b55913c519ad6086bcaec1a89f8308f3effacd435f.
nscm.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 Hardware Compatibility Publisher.
Related: Other drivers signed by Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility Publisher · What an IOCTL dispatch code is · How YARA matching feeds the score · BYOVD research index · full driver database · CVE library · code signing atlas