By reading ELF header of a binary file in android system, I find that most executable files under /system/bin are ET_DYN, i.e., shared libraries. For example, the /system/bin/ls, lsmod, kill files are typed ET_DYN. In my opinion, these files are executable, and should be ET_EXEC type. So my question is: in android system, why executable files from Linux OS are compiled to ET_DYN type?
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shijun zhao
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i.e., shared libraries
They are not: they are position-independent executables.
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Is there any way to distinguish executable files from shared libraries by ELF header? – shijun zhao Apr 11 '18 at 01:28
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@shijunzhao No, there isn't (at least not for `PIE` executables). – Employed Russian Apr 11 '18 at 01:42
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thanks for you reply. In android platform, I see that the interpreters for .so and exe are different, can I distinguish exe from .so by their interpreters? – shijun zhao Apr 12 '18 at 01:26