Analysis of kdnic.sys: clean verdict, risk score 14/100. 0 YARA matches. SHA256 f14ac6ef3695e05c. Kernel imports, IOCTL codes, MITRE ATT&CK, and code-signing details.
DriverShield analyzed the Windows kernel driver kdnic.sys and assigned a verdict of Clean with a composite risk score of 14/100, indicating no notable risk signals (0-29 band).
| Verdict | Clean (14/100) |
| YARA matches | 0 |
| File size | 33296 bytes |
| Code-signing signer | Microsoft Windows |
| Analyzed | 2026-03-22 |
| SHA256 | f14ac6ef3695e05cd2d5cd9524af7d0327e11a8b2ba9315a1ebf53828a608d33 |
| SHA1 | 028dfaf57574a08ce39315e58b48a2f09bab2aaf |
| MD5 | 6b7422a382c1788aaf7c6ce6d4a4b375 |
Version resource data embedded in the kdnic.sys PE header, as extracted by the analysis engine.
| File description | Microsoft Kernel Debugger Network Miniport |
|---|---|
| Product | Microsoft Kernel Debugger Network Adapter (NDIS 6.20 Miniport) |
| Company | Microsoft Corporation |
| Original filename | kdnic.sys |
| Internal name | kdnic.sys |
| File version | 6.01.00.0000 (WinBuild.160101.0800) |
| Copyright | Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. 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 | 0 / 100 |
| Dangerous kernel imports | 39 / 100 |
| IOCTL dispatch surface | 21 / 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 kdnic.sys, ranked by exploitation relevance.
| API | Risk | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| MmGetSystemRoutineAddress | high | Potentially dangerous - could be used for privilege escalation or security bypass |
| KeDelayExecutionThread | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IoDeleteDevice | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| IoCreateDevice | low | Standard kernel API - generally benign |
| RtlInitUnicodeString | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0x00227417 | high | METHOD_NEITHER | FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #3333 |
| 0x002200F0 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_UNKNOWN Function #60 |
| 0x0034B715 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #3525 |
| 0x00808D8D | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #867 |
| 0x0080B589 | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #3426 |
| 0x0080858D | medium | METHOD_IN_DIRECT | FILE_DEVICE_CUSTOM Function #355 |
| 0x003403F8 | medium | METHOD_BUFFERED | FILE_DEVICE_DISK Function #254 |
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 | 0x1FB6 | 0x2000 | 5.96 | CODE, EXEC, READ |
| .rdata | 0x0998 | 0x0A00 | 4.47 | IDATA, READ |
| .data | 0x0280 | 0x0200 | 1.86 | IDATA, READ, WRITE |
| .pdata | 0x03FC | 0x0400 | 4.19 | IDATA, READ |
| .idata | 0x095A | 0x0A00 | 4.27 | IDATA, READ |
| PAGE | 0x0E17 | 0x1000 | 5.57 | CODE, EXEC, READ |
| .edata | 0x0051 | 0x0200 | 0.88 | IDATA, READ |
| INIT | 0x03F1 | 0x0400 | 5.65 | CODE, EXEC, READ, DISCARD |
| GFIDS | 0x0080 | 0x0200 | 0.88 | IDATA, READ, DISCARD |
| .rsrc | 0x0458 | 0x0600 | 2.59 | IDATA, READ, DISCARD |
| .reloc | 0x0268 | 0x0400 | 3.4 | IDATA, READ, DISCARD |
| Control Flow Guard | Enabled |
|---|---|
| ASLR | Enabled |
| DEP | Enabled |
| Integrity check | Not enforced |
| Mitigation score | 85 / 100 |
Techniques this driver could enable if loaded by an adversary.
| ID | Technique | Tactic |
|---|---|---|
| T1071 | Application Layer Protocol | Command and Control |
| T1211 | Exploitation for Defense Evasion | Defense Evasion |
| T1543.003 | Windows Service | Persistence |
| T1553.002 | Subvert Trust Controls: Code Signing | Defense Evasion |
| T1569.002 | System Services: Service Execution | Execution |
| T1652 | Device Driver Discovery | Discovery |
| 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 |
Engine angr, status no_findings, 0 paths explored at a maximum depth of 0. Vulnerability classes reached: 0. Exploitable paths: 0.
Based on DriverShield static and dynamic analysis, kdnic.sys is assessed as clean, with no notable risk signals. Its composite risk score is 14/100 (verdict: clean). Always validate findings independently before acting.
kdnic.sys has a DriverShield composite risk score of 14/100, placing it in the clean verdict band. SHA256: f14ac6ef3695e05cd2d5cd9524af7d0327e11a8b2ba9315a1ebf53828a608d33.
kdnic.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