readelf 1.0.1

An ELF file reading library made in Python

python-readelf

python-readelf is an ELF file reading library.

Installation

pip install readelf

Documentation

The main entry point is the function readelf.readelf(), which takes a file path as an argument. For example:

>>> file = readelf.readelf("/usr/bin/python3.12")
>>> file.find_section(".text")
<Section .text @ 0x1020>
>>> 

ELFFile attributes and methods

find_section_by_type(type)

Finds a section with a given type. Type must be a member of the const.SHT enum. If no such section exists, a LookupError is raised.

find_sections_by_type(type)

Finds all sections with a given type, as a tuple. Type must be a member of the const.SHT enum.

find_section(name)

Returns the first occurence of a section with a given name. If no such section exists, a LookupError is raised.

>>> file = readelf.readelf("/usr/bin/python3.12")
>>> file.find_section(".text")
<Section .text @ 0x1020>
>>> 

find_sections(name)

Returns all the occurences of sections with a given name, as a tuple.

find_at_addr(addr)

Returns the section starting at a given memory address. If no such section exists, a LookupError is raised.

>>> file = readelf.readelf("/usr/bin/python3.12")
>>> file.find_at_addr(0x1020)
<Section .text @ 0x1020>
>>>

find_at_offset(offset)

Returns the section saved in the file starting at a given file offset. If no such section exists, a LookupError is raised.

from_stream(buf)[classmethod]

Creates an ELFFile instance from a stream.

>>> file = ELFFile.from_stream(BytesIO(data)) 
>>>

arch

The architecture the file was compiled for. Possible values: const.ARCH.ARCH_64, const.ARCH.ARCH_32

endian

The file's endianness. Possible values: const.ENDIAN.ENDIAN_LITTLE, const.ENDIAN.ENDIAN_BIG

version

The ELF version the file is using. Possible values: const.EI_VER.EI_VER_1

abi

The Application Binary Interface the file is using. Possible values: const.ABI.ABI_SYSTEMV, const.ABI.ABI_HPUX, const.ABI.ABI_NETBSD, const.ABI.ABI_LINUX, const.ABI.ABI_HURD, const.ABI.ABI_SOLARIS, const.ABI.ABI_AIX, const.ABI.ABI_IRIX, const.ABI.ABI_FREEBSD, const.ABI.ABI_TRU64, const.ABI.ABI_MODESTO, const.ABI.ABI_OPENBSD, const.ABI.ABI_OPENVMS, const.ABI.ABI_NONSTOP, const.ABI.ABI_AROS, const.ABI.ABI_FENIXOS, const.ABI.ABI_CLOUDABI, const.ABI.ABI_OPENVOS

type

The file type, as defined in the ELF specification. Possible values: const.ET.ET_NONE, const.ET.ET_REL, const.ET.ET_EXEC, const.ET.ET_DYN, const.ET.ET_CORE, const.ET.ET_OS, const.ET.ET_PROC

isa

The Instruction Set Architecture the file was compiled for.

Possible values: const.ISA.ISA_RESERVED, const.ISA.ISA_NONE, const.ISA.ISA_ATT, const.ISA.ISA_SPARC, const.ISA.ISA_X86, const.ISA.ISA_M68K, const.ISA.ISA_M88K, const.ISA.ISA_MCU, const.ISA.ISA_I80860, const.ISA.ISA_MIPS, const.ISA.ISA_IBM370, const.ISA.ISA_MIPS3K, const.ISA.ISA_PARISC, const.ISA.ISA_I80960, const.ISA.ISA_POWERPC32, const.ISA.ISA_POWERPC64, const.ISA.ISA_S390, const.ISA.ISA_IBMSPU, const.ISA.ISA_NECV800, const.ISA.ISA_FR20, const.ISA.ISA_TRWRH32, const.ISA.ISA_MRCE, const.ISA.ISA_ARM, const.ISA.ISA_DIGALPH, const.ISA.ISA_SUPERH, const.ISA.ISA_SPARC9, const.ISA.ISA_STRICORE, const.ISA.ISA_ARGORISC, const.ISA.ISA_H8300, const.ISA.ISA_H8300H, const.ISA.ISA_H8S, const.ISA.ISA_H8500, const.ISA.ISA_IA64, const.ISA.ISA_MIPSX, const.ISA.ISA_COLDFIRE, const.ISA.ISA_HC12, const.ISA.ISA_FUMMA, const.ISA.ISA_SPCP, const.ISA.ISA_SRISC, const.ISA.ISA_NDR1, const.ISA.ISA_STARCORE, const.ISA.ISA_ME16, const.ISA.ISA_ST100, const.ISA.ISA_TINYJ, const.ISA.ISA_AMDX8664, const.ISA.ISA_SDSP, const.ISA.ISA_PDP10, const.ISA.ISA_PDP11, const.ISA.ISA_FX66, const.ISA.ISA_ST9P, const.ISA.ISA_ST7, const.ISA.ISA_HC16, const.ISA.ISA_HC11, const.ISA.ISA_HC08, const.ISA.ISA_HC05, const.ISA.ISA_SVX, const.ISA.ISA_ST19, const.ISA.ISA_VAX, const.ISA.ISA_AXIS, const.ISA.ISA_INF, const.ISA.ISA_ELEM14, const.ISA.ISA_LSI, const.ISA.ISA_TMS320C6K, const.ISA.ISA_MCS, const.ISA.ISA_AARCH, const.ISA.ISA_Z80, const.ISA.ISA_RISCV, const.ISA.ISA_BPF, const.ISA.ISA_65C816

entry

The file offset where the file starts executing.

>>> elf_file.find_at_offset(elf_file.entry)
<Section .text @ 0x1020>
>>>

phoff

The program header file offset

shoff

The section header file offset

flags

The file's flags. Interpretation varies depending on the isa.

ehsize

The file header size.

phentsize

The program header entry size.

phnum

The number of program header entries.

shentsize

The section header entry size.

shnum

The number of section header entries.

shstrndx

The section header string table index.

memory

The file's Memory object. see Memory attributes and methods

sections

A list of all the sections contained in the file. see Section attributes and methods

segments

All the program segments contained in the file. see ProgramSegments attributes and methods

__getitem__()

You can use elf_file[n] to get the nth segment in the file.

Section attributes and methods

name

The section name from the string table

type

The section type. Possible values: const.SHT.SHT_NULL, const.SHT.SHT_PROGBITS, const.SHT.SHT_SYMTAB, const.SHT.SHT_STRTAB, SHT.SHT_RELA, SHT.SHT_HASH, SHT.SHT_DYNAMIC, SHT.SHT_NOTE, SHT.SHT_NOBITS, SHT.SHT_REL, SHT.SHT_SHLIB, SHT.SHT_DYNSYM, SHT.SHT_INIT_ARRAY, SHT.SHT_FINI_ARRAY, SHT.SHT_PREINIT_ARRAY, SHT.SHT_GROUP, SHT.SHT_SYMTAB_SHNDX, SHT.SHT_NUM, SHT.SHT_OS

flags

A set of the section flags. Possible flags: const.SHF.SHF_WRITE, const.SHF.SHF_ALLOC, const.SHF.SHF_EXECINSTR, const.SHF.SHF_MERGE const.SHF.SHF_MERGE, const.SHF.SHF_STRINGS, const.SHF.SHF_INFO_LINK, const.SHF.SHF_OS_NONCONFORMING, const.SHF.SHF_GROUP, const.SHF.SHF_TLS, const.SHF.SHF_MASKOS, const.SHF.SHF_MASKPROC, const.SHF.SHF_ORDERED, const.SHF.SHF_EXCLUDE

addr

The memory address where the section starts.

offset

The file offset where the section starts.

size

The size of the section's content.

addralign

Required section alignment.

content

Raw section content.

parsed_content

Parsed section content (section type specific)

file

The ELFFile instance contaning this section.

Section type specific attributes/methods

DYNAMIC

entries

A list of all the entries in the section.

find_entries(tag)

Finds an entry with a given tag.

DynamicEntry.d_tag

The entry tag.

Possible values: const.DT.DT_NULL, const.DT.DT_NEEDED, const.DT.DT_PLTRELSZ, const.DT.DT_PLTGOT, const.DT.DT_HASH, const.DT.DT_STRTAB, const.DT.DT_SYMTAB, const.DT.DT_RELA, const.DT.DT_RELASZ, const.DT.DT_RELAENT, const.DT.DT_STRSZ, const.DT.DT_SYMENT, const.DT.DT_INIT, const.DT.DT_FINI, const.DT.DT_SONAME, const.DT.DT_RPATH, const.DT.DT_SYMBOLIC, const.DT.DT_REL, const.DT.DT_RELSZ, const.DT.DT_RELENT, const.DT.DT_PLTREL, const.DT.DT_DEBUG, const.DT.DT_TEXTREL, const.DT.DT_JMPREL, const.DT.DT_BIND_NOW, const.DT.DT_INIT_ARRAY, const.DT.DT_FINI_ARRAY, const.DT.DT_INIT_ARRAYSZ, const.DT.DT_FINI_ARRAYSZ, const.DT.DT_RUNPATH, const.DT.DT_FLAGS, const.DT.DT_ENCODING, const.DT.DT_PREINIT_ARRAYSZ, const.DT.DT_MAXPOSTAGS, const.DT.DT_SUNW_AUXILIARY, const.DT.DT_SUNW_FILTER, const.DT.DT_SUNW_CAP, const.DT.DT_SUNW_SYMTAB, const.DT.DT_SUNW_SYMSZ, const.DT.DT_SUNW_SORTENT, const.DT.DT_SUNW_SYMSORT, const.DT.DT_SUNW_SYMSORTSZ, const.DT.DT_SUNW_TLSSORT, const.DT.DT_SUNW_TLSSORTSZ, const.DT.DT_SUNW_CAPINFO, const.DT.DT_SUNW_STRPAD, const.DT.DT_SUNW_CAPCHAIN, const.DT.DT_SUNW_LDMACH, const.DT.DT_SUNW_CAPCHAINENT, const.DT.DT_SUNW_CAPCHAINSZ, const.DT.DT_OS, const.DT.DT_VALRNGLO, const.DT.DT_CHECKSUM, const.DT.DT_PLTPADSZ, const.DT.DT_MOVEENT, const.DT.DT_MOVESZ, const.DT.DT_POSFLAG_1, const.DT.DT_SYMINSZ, const.DT.DT_SYMINENT, const.DT.DT_VALRNGHI, const.DT.DT_ADDRRNGLO, const.DT.DT_CONFIG, const.DT.DT_DEPAUDIT, const.DT.DT_AUDIT, const.DT.DT_PLTPAD, const.DT.DT_MOVETAB, const.DT.DT_SYMINFO, const.DT.DT_ADDRRNGHI, const.DT.DT_RELACOUNT, const.DT.DT_RELCOUNT, const.DT.DT_FLAGS_1, const.DT.DT_VERDEF, const.DT.DT_VERDEFNUM, const.DT.DT_VERNEED, const.DT.DT_VERNEEDNUM, const.DT.DT_SPARC_REGISTER, const.DT.DT_AUXILIARY, const.DT.DT_USED, const.DT.DT_FILTER, const.DT.DT_PROC

DynamicEntry.parent

The parent dynamic section of the entry

DynamicEntry.content

The raw entry content

DynamicEntry.value

The parsed entry content. This can be a section.

DYNSYM/SYMTAB

symbols

A list of all the symbols defined in the symbol table

get_symbol(name)

Finds a symbol with the given name

Sym.name

The name of the symbol.

Sym.value

The value of the symbol.

REL/RELA

entries

A list of all the relocation entries in this section`

Rel(a)Entry.offset

File offset

Rel(a)Entry.sym

The relocation symbol

RelaEntry.addend

A constant relocation addend

ProgramSegments attributes and methods

segments

A list of all the segments contained within the file. See ProgramSegment attributes and methods

ProgramSegment attributes and methods

sections

A list of all the sections present within the segment

content

The contents of the segment

readable

Non-zero if the segment is readable

writable

Non-zero if the segment is writable

executable

Non-zero if the segment is executable

type

Type of the segment. Possible values: const.PT.PT_NULL, const.PT.PT_LOAD, const.PT.PT_DYNAMIC, const.PT.PT_INTERP, const.PT.PT_NOTE, const.PT.PT_SHLIB, const.PT.PT_PHDR, const.PT.PT_TLS, const.PT.PT_OS, const.PT.PT_PROC

vaddr

Virtual address of the segment in memory.

paddr

Physical address of the segment in memory.

align

Segment alignment

Memory attributes and methods

seek(position)

Moves the memory index to a given position

read(n)

Reads n bytes from the memory, starting at the current index.

get_section()

Returns the section allocated to the current index. Returns None if no such section could be found.

__getitem__(index)

Returns the section allocated to an index. Returns None if no such section could be found.

Usage

Opening a file

>>> import readelf
>>> file = readelf.readelf("/usr/bin/python3.12")
#...

Accessing sections

By name

>>> file.find_section(".data")
<Section .data @ 0x4000>

By address

>>> file.find_at_addr(0x4000)
<Section .data @ 0x4000>

By file offset

>>> file.find_at_offset(12288)
<Section .data @ 0x4000>

By type

>>> file.find_sections_by_type(elfparser.const.SHT.SHT_PROGBITS)
(<Section .interp @ 0x318>, <Section .init @ 0x1000>, <Section .text @ 0x1020>, <Section .fini @ 0x112c>, <Section .rodata @ 0x2000>, <Section .eh_frame_hdr @ 0x2004>, <Section .eh_frame @ 0x2020>, <Section .got @ 0x3fb8>, <Section .data @ 0x4000>, <Section .comment @ 0x0>, <Section .gnu_debuglink @ 0x0>)

Extracting symbols

>>> python = readelf.readelf("/usr/lib/libpython3.12.so")
>>> dynsym = python.find_section_by_type(elfparser.const.SHT.SHT_DYNSYM) # or find_section(".dynsym")
>>> sym = dynsym.get_symbol("PyExc_ValueError")
>>> sym
<Sym [STT_OBJECT] PyExc_ValueError (22@4da548+8)>
>>> sym.value
b'\x00\x7fM\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00'