Kernel driver
Also searched as: kernel driver · kernel-mode driver · ring 0 driver · kernel level
What it means
Software that runs in the trusted core of Windows (the kernel) rather than out in normal app space. Hardware needs them; some anti-cheats and some "tweak tools" install them too.
More detail
A driver at this level can read and change almost anything, so a buggy or shady one is a big deal — it can blue-screen your PC or hand deep access to malware. This is why a random "FPS booster" that ships a kernel driver is a real risk, not a convenience. …
In the Blackbook
The deeper explanation continues inside the app. The Blackbook publishes its verdicts here — the full write-ups stay in the book, on your rig, next to your own measurements.
The Compy Blackbook holds 191 graded entries like this one, judged against your hardware — and every change it does make is reversible, with the receipt to prove it.
See Compy →