pnpmem.sys - Clean (12/100) - DriverShield Analysis

Analysis of pnpmem.sys: clean verdict, risk score 12/100. 0 YARA matches. SHA256 b8345c32585c45e6. Kernel imports, IOCTL codes, MITRE ATT&CK, and code-signing details.

pnpmem.sys - Analysis Report

DriverShield analyzed the Windows kernel driver pnpmem.sys and assigned a verdict of Clean with a composite risk score of 12/100, indicating no notable risk signals (0-29 band).

Verdict	Clean (12/100)
YARA matches	0
File size	17408 bytes
Analyzed	2026-03-22
SHA256	b8345c32585c45e6248d7194b1071f2b8617718e7c9b270aaf44c132d029db4c
SHA1	f0e099a8afd79ac82696380a70a3965daf3325ae
MD5	2769f200292c0f941a10bd60c33ea4a6

Driver identity

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

File description	Plug and Play Memory Driver
Product	Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Company	Microsoft Corporation
Original filename	pnpmem.sys
Internal name	pnpmem.sys
File version	10.0.19041.1 (WinBuild.160101.0800)
Copyright	© Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

How the 12/100 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	48 / 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 (12)

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

API	Risk	Why it matters
KeBugCheckEx	medium	Moderate risk - system modification capability
KeWaitForSingleObject	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
ExAllocatePoolWithTag	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
IofCompleteRequest	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
KeSetEvent	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
ZwOpenKey	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
RtlInitUnicodeString	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
ZwClose	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
ZwQueryValueKey	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
IoCreateDevice	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
IoDeleteDevice	low	Standard kernel API - generally benign
KeInitializeEvent	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
0x002200F0	medium	METHOD_BUFFERED	FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #60
0x00340036	medium	METHOD_OUT_DIRECT	FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #13
0x00340394	medium	METHOD_BUFFERED	FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #229

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	0x05A9	0x0600	5.44	CODE, EXEC, READ
.rdata	0x07E0	0x0800	4.23	IDATA, READ
.data	0x0108	0x0200	0.28	IDATA, READ, WRITE
.pdata	0x01C8	0x0200	3.54	IDATA, READ
.idata	0x05CE	0x0600	4.35	IDATA, READ
PAGE	0x1448	0x1600	5.82	CODE, EXEC, READ
INIT	0x01D2	0x0200	5.36	CODE, EXEC, READ, DISCARD
GFIDS	0x0048	0x0200	0.66	IDATA, READ, DISCARD
.rsrc	0x0B58	0x0C00	3.4	IDATA, READ, DISCARD
.reloc	0x01E8	0x0200	4.62	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 (8)

Techniques this driver could enable if loaded by an adversary.

ID	Technique	Tactic
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
T1553.006	Code Signing Policy Modification	Defense Evasion
T1569.002	System Services: Service Execution	Execution
T1652	Device Driver Discovery	Discovery

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 pnpmem.sys

Is pnpmem.sys safe?

Based on DriverShield static and dynamic analysis, pnpmem.sys is assessed as clean, with no notable risk signals. Its composite risk score is 12/100 (verdict: clean). Always validate findings independently before acting.

What is the risk score of pnpmem.sys?

pnpmem.sys has a DriverShield composite risk score of 12/100, placing it in the clean verdict band. SHA256: b8345c32585c45e6248d7194b1071f2b8617718e7c9b270aaf44c132d029db4c.

What is pnpmem.sys?

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