NAME

       paxctl - user-space utility to control PaX flags

SYNTAX

       paxctl <flags> <files>

DESCRIPTION

       paxctl  is  a  tool  that  allows  PaX flags to be modified on a per-binary basis.  PaX is part of common
       security-enhancing kernel patches and secure distributions,  such  as  GrSecurity  and  Hardened  Gentoo,
       respectively.   Your system needs to be running a properly patched and configured kernel for this program
       to have any effect.

       -P     enforce paging based non-executable pages (PAGEEXEC)

       -p     do not enforce paging based non-executable pages (NOPAGEEXEC)

       -E     emulate trampolines (EMUTRAMP)

       -e     do not emulate trampolines (NOEMUTRAMP)

       -M     enforce secure memory protections (MPROTECT)

       -m     do not enforce secure memory protections (NOMPROTECT)

       -R     randomize memory regions (RANDMMAP)

       -r     do not randomize memory regions (NORANDMMAP)

       -X     randomize base address of normal (ET_EXEC) executables (RANDEXEC)

       -x     do not randomize base address of normal (ET_EXEC) executables (NORANDEXEC)

       -S     enforce segmentation based non-executable pages (SEGMEXEC)

       -s     do not enforce segmentation based non-executable pages (NOSEGMEXEC)

       -v     view flags

       -z     reset all flags (further flags still apply)

       -c     create the PT_PAX_FLAGS program header if it does not exist by converting the PT_GNU_STACK program
              header if it exists

       -C     create  the PT_PAX_FLAGS program header if it does not exist by adding a new program header, if it
              is possible

       -q     suppress error messages

       -Q     report flags in short format

CAVEATS

       The old PaX flag location and control method have been obsoleted, if your kernel and binaries use it  you
       have to use chpax(1) instead (it is recommended to use PT_PAX_FLAGS along with -c or -C however).

       Converting  PT_GNU_STACK  into  PT_PAX_FLAGS  means  that  the information in the former is destroyed, in
       particular you must make sure that the  EMUTRAMP  PaX  option  is  properly  set  in  the  newly  created
       PT_PAX_FLAGS.   The  secure  way is to disable EMUTRAMP first and if PaX reports stack execution attempts
       from nested function trampolines then enable it.

       Note that the new PT_PAX_FLAGS is created in  the  same  state  that  binutils/ld  itself  would  produce
       (equivalent to -zex).

       Note that if you use both PT_PAX_FLAGS and the extended attribute PaX flags on a binary then they must be
       exactly the same (except for RANDEXEC).

       Note that RANDEXEC is no longer supported by PaX kernels  since  2.6.13,  the  paxctl  flags  are  simply
       ignored there.

       Note that paxctl does not make backup copies of the files it modifies.

       Note  that  paxctl is meant to work on the native architecture's binaries only, however it should work on
       foreign binaries as long as they have the same endianess as the native architecture (e.g., an i386 paxctl
       should work on amd64 or little-endian arm but not on big-endian mips binaries).

AUTHOR

       Written by The PaX Team <pageexec@freemail.hu>

       This  manpage was adapted from the chpax manpage written by Martin F. Krafft <madduck@debian.org> for the
       Debian GNU/Linux Distribution, but may be used by others.

SEE ALSO

       chpax(1), gradm(8)

       PaX website: http://pax.grsecurity.net

       GrSecurity website: http://www.grsecurity.net

       Hardened Gentoo website: http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/hardened