NtOpenFilePHANDLE

NtOpenFilePHANDLE refers to the use of a PHANDLE (a pointer to a HANDLE) as the out parameter in the Windows Native API function NtOpenFile. NtOpenFile is a low-level, native API exported by ntdll.dll that opens a file or I/O object and returns a handle for subsequent operations. It is primarily used by kernel-mode components and some system utilities; standard applications typically invoke higher-level wrappers such as CreateFile or ZwOpenFile.

The typical NtOpenFile signature is NTSTATUS NtOpenFile(PHANDLE FileHandle, ACCESS_MASK DesiredAccess, POBJECT_ATTRIBUTES ObjectAttributes, PIO_STATUS_BLOCK IoStatusBlock, ULONG ShareAccess, ULONG OpenOptions). In this form, FileHandle is a PHANDLE, meaning the caller passes the address of a HANDLE variable to receive the opened handle. On success, the pointed-to HANDLE is a valid, open handle that should later be closed with NtClose/ZwClose.

Parameters and behavior:

- FileHandle (out): the address of a HANDLE variable that receives the opened handle.

- DesiredAccess: an access mask defining requested permissions (read, write, execute, etc.).

- ObjectAttributes: contains information about the object name (and possibly root directory and attributes).

- IoStatusBlock: receives I/O status information.

- ShareAccess and OpenOptions control sharing semantics and opening flags (for example, synchronous I/O, non-directory file, delete-on-close behavior, etc.).

Return value is an NTSTATUS code; STATUS_SUCCESS indicates the handle was opened successfully. Other codes indicate various errors (e.g., access denied, file not found).

Notes: In user-mode, ZwOpenFile is the typical wrapper that forwards to NtOpenFile. For most applications, standard APIs like CreateFile are preferred. NtOpenFile and the PHANDLE parameter are mainly relevant to low-level system programming, drivers, or specialized tooling that interacts with the Windows Native API.