Shellcode
noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A small piece of code, used as the payload of a virus or other malware, that launches a shell so that the attacker can control the compromised computer. countable, uncountable
"In ELF executables, there aren't a whole lot of code caves (such as in the PE format), so you are not likely to be able to shove more than just a meager amount of shellcode into existing code slots […]"
Example
More examples"In ELF executables, there aren't a whole lot of code caves (such as in the PE format), so you are not likely to be able to shove more than just a meager amount of shellcode into existing code slots […]"
Etymology
From shell + code.
More for "shellcode"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.