ELF Relocations, Explained From Scratch

Overview

This article breaks down the mechanics behind elf relocations, explained from scratch, focusing on how an analyst reasons about the artifact. It stays at the level of principles and observable behaviour, so the material transfers across samples and toolchains.

Approach

It starts with static observation — headers, sections, and strings — before moving to controlled dynamic analysis. Each step is framed around a question we are trying to answer, not a recipe to follow blindly.

• Establish a hypothesis from static indicators.
• Confirm or reject it with controlled, reversible experiments.
• Document findings so they are reproducible by others.

Takeaways

The goal is transferable intuition. Once you understand the underlying mechanics, new variants become recognizable rather than intimidating.