NAME¶

PR_SET_MM_EXE_FILE - modify kernel memory map descriptor fields

LIBRARY¶

Standard C library (libc, -lc)

SYNOPSIS¶

#include <linux/prctl.h>  /* Definition of PR_* constants */
#include <sys/prctl.h>

int prctl(PR_SET_MM, PR_SET_MM_EXE_FILE, long fd, 0L, 0L);

DESCRIPTION¶

Supersede the /proc/pid/exe symbolic link with a new one pointing to a new executable file identified by the file descriptor provided in the fd argument. The file descriptor should be obtained with a regular open(2) call.

To change the symbolic link, one needs to unmap all existing executable memory areas, including those created by the kernel itself (for example the kernel usually creates at least one executable memory area for the ELF .text section).

RETURN VALUE¶

On success, 0 is returned. On error, -1 is returned, and errno is set to indicate the error.

ERRORS¶

EACCES

The file is not executable.

EBADF

The file descriptor passed in fd is not valid.

EBUSY

This the second attempt to change the /proc/pid/exe symbolic link.

FILES¶

/proc/pid/exe

STANDARDS¶

Linux.

HISTORY¶

Linux 3.5.

In Linux 4.9 and earlier, the PR_SET_MM_EXE_FILE operation can be performed only once in a process's lifetime; attempting to perform the operation a second time results in the error EPERM. This restriction was enforced for security reasons that were subsequently deemed specious, and the restriction was removed in Linux 4.10 because some user-space applications needed to perform this operation more than once.

SEE ALSO¶

prctl(2), PR_SET_MM(2const), proc_pid_exe(5)