CAD.sys - Clean (23/100) - DriverShield Analysis

Analysis of CAD.sys: clean verdict, risk score 23/100. 0 YARA matches. SHA256 cdbd820b6d383ec0. Kernel imports, IOCTL codes, MITRE ATT&CK, and code-signing details.

CAD.sys - Analysis Report

DriverShield analyzed the Windows kernel driver CAD.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	66576 bytes
Code-signing signer	Microsoft Windows
Analyzed	2026-03-22
SHA256	cdbd820b6d383ec0a8151ea4300435c2bad085ec55db185c5e16caf961443888
SHA1	625ecd141d98d2fb74d7dc7ffe7ea142bfe475f5
MD5	e7690568d2a5fa3d4e6d28b42358a122

Driver identity

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

File description	Charge Arbiration Driver
Product	Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company	Microsoft Corporation
Original filename	cad.sys
Internal name	cad.sys
File version	10.0.19041.1 (WinBuild.160101.0800)
Copyright	© Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

How the 23/100 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	51 / 100
IOCTL dispatch surface	72 / 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 (10)

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

API	Risk	Why it matters
ObReferenceObjectByHandle	medium	Moderate risk - system modification capability
ZwQuerySystemInformation	medium	Moderate risk - system modification capability
ZwOpenFile	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
KeWaitForSingleObject	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
ExAllocatePoolWithTag	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
KeSetEvent	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
KeInitializeEvent	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
ZwClose	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
DbgPrintEx	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
RtlInitUnicodeString	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign

IOCTL dispatch codes (24)

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
0x00800127	high	METHOD_NEITHER	FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #73
0x00800083	high	METHOD_NEITHER	FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #32
0x00800047	high	METHOD_NEITHER	FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #17
0x0022011B	high	METHOD_NEITHER	FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #70
0x0080838B	high	METHOD_NEITHER	FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #226
0x0080808B	high	METHOD_NEITHER	FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #34
0x00347F83	high	METHOD_NEITHER	FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #4064
0x002200F0	medium	METHOD_BUFFERED	FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #60
0x0080858D	medium	METHOD_IN_DIRECT	FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #355
0x00220020	medium	METHOD_BUFFERED	FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #8
0x0080005C	medium	METHOD_BUFFERED	FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #23
0x0080005D	medium	METHOD_IN_DIRECT	FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #23
0x0080003D	medium	METHOD_IN_DIRECT	FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #15
0x0022012C	medium	METHOD_BUFFERED	FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #75
0x00220118	medium	METHOD_BUFFERED	FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #70
0x0022641A	medium	METHOD_OUT_DIRECT	FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #2310
0x0080248C	medium	METHOD_BUFFERED	FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #2339
0x0080FE81	medium	METHOD_IN_DIRECT	FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #4000
0x00802494	medium	METHOD_BUFFERED	FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #2341
0x00228341	medium	METHOD_IN_DIRECT	FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #208
0x00808B48	medium	METHOD_BUFFERED	FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #722
0x0080EC81	medium	METHOD_IN_DIRECT	FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #2848
0x0080249C	medium	METHOD_BUFFERED	FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #2343
0x00340380	medium	METHOD_BUFFERED	FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #224

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	0x12A9	0x1400	5.65	CODE, EXEC, READ
.rdata	0x3A08	0x3C00	5	IDATA, READ
.data	0x0440	0x0200	1.28	IDATA, READ, WRITE
.pdata	0x048C	0x0600	3.6	IDATA, READ
.idata	0x06BC	0x0800	3.95	IDATA, READ
PAGE	0x6F9E	0x7000	6.12	CODE, EXEC, READ
INIT	0x0122	0x0200	3.92	CODE, EXEC, READ, DISCARD
GFIDS	0x0060	0x0200	0.88	IDATA, READ, DISCARD
.rsrc	0x05A0	0x0600	3.08	IDATA, READ, DISCARD
.reloc	0x035C	0x0400	5.08	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	System Services: 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 CAD.sys

Is CAD.sys safe?

Based on DriverShield static and dynamic analysis, CAD.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.

What is the risk score of CAD.sys?

CAD.sys has a DriverShield composite risk score of 23/100, placing it in the clean verdict band. SHA256: cdbd820b6d383ec0a8151ea4300435c2bad085ec55db185c5e16caf961443888.

What is CAD.sys?

CAD.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