winmad.sys - Clean (13/100) - DriverShield Analysis

Analysis of winmad.sys: clean verdict, risk score 13/100. 0 YARA matches. SHA256 f6a9e7026aa60a66. Kernel imports, IOCTL codes, MITRE ATT&CK, and code-signing details.

winmad.sys - Analysis Report

DriverShield analyzed the Windows kernel driver winmad.sys and assigned a verdict of Clean with a composite risk score of 13/100, indicating no notable risk signals (0-29 band).

Verdict	Clean (13/100)
YARA matches	0
File size	36152 bytes
Code-signing signer	Microsoft Windows
Analyzed	2026-03-22
SHA256	f6a9e7026aa60a6627680f232ae785ea9cf55fe970708e6e49151f601cc42fee
SHA1	44afe39c84aa11372cf5628ad91c97f88876a743
MD5	0816c30e3395e667efffb92b4ea66a05

Driver identity

Version resource data embedded in the winmad.sys PE header, as extracted by the analysis engine.

File description	Kernel WinMad
Product	OpenFabrics Windows
Company	Mellanox
Original filename	winmad.sys
Internal name	winmad.sys
File version	5.50.14695
Copyright	Copyright© 2009 Mellanox Technologies Ltd

How the 13/100 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	30 / 100
IOCTL dispatch surface	27 / 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 imports (6)

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

API	Risk	Why it matters
MmGetSystemRoutineAddress	high	Potentially dangerous - could be used for privilege escalation or security bypass
RtlInitUnicodeString	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
KeWaitForSingleObject	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
KeInitializeEvent	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
ExAllocatePoolWithTag	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
KeSetEvent	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign

IOCTL dispatch codes (9)

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
0x0080808B	high	METHOD_NEITHER	FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #34
0x0022341B	high	METHOD_NEITHER	FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #3334
0x002200F0	medium	METHOD_BUFFERED	FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #60
0x00345715	medium	METHOD_IN_DIRECT	FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #1477
0x0034DF15	medium	METHOD_IN_DIRECT	FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #1989
0x00346B05	medium	METHOD_IN_DIRECT	FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #2753
0x00340078	medium	METHOD_BUFFERED	FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #30
0x0034030C	medium	METHOD_BUFFERED	FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #195
0x00340038	medium	METHOD_BUFFERED	FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #14

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	0x42D6	0x4400	6.1	CODE, EXEC, READ
.rdata	0x0DF4	0x0E00	4.84	IDATA, READ
.data	0x0CA0	0x0200	1.87	IDATA, READ, WRITE
.pdata	0x0324	0x0400	3.49	IDATA, READ
PAGE	0x052C	0x0600	5.48	CODE, EXEC, READ
INIT	0x0354	0x0400	4.32	CODE, EXEC, READ, DISCARD
.rsrc	0x0370	0x0400	2.96	IDATA, READ, DISCARD
.reloc	0x0050	0x0200	1	IDATA, READ, DISCARD

Exploit mitigations

Control Flow Guard	Enabled
ASLR	Enabled
DEP	Enabled
Integrity check	Not enforced
Mitigation score	85 / 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.
Expired Certificate - The driver is signed but the certificate has expired. Windows may still load it depending on revocation policy.

MITRE ATT&CK techniques (8)

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

Code-signing chain

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

Certificate revision: 0x0200
Certificate type: PKCS#7
Chain: Microsoft Windows Production PCA 2011

Symbolic execution

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

Frequently asked questions about winmad.sys

Is winmad.sys safe?

Based on DriverShield static and dynamic analysis, winmad.sys is assessed as clean, with no notable risk signals. Its composite risk score is 13/100 (verdict: clean). Always validate findings independently before acting.

What is the risk score of winmad.sys?

winmad.sys has a DriverShield composite risk score of 13/100, placing it in the clean verdict band. SHA256: f6a9e7026aa60a6627680f232ae785ea9cf55fe970708e6e49151f601cc42fee.

What is winmad.sys?

winmad.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