Systems and methods for applying live patches using an executable and linkable format (elf) interpreter

A system for generating and applying loadable patches for a program, comprising:

• at least one memory;
• at least one hardware processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured, individually or in combination, to:
• generate a runtime binary patch compatible with dynamic object loading, by:
• detecting differences in code or data between original assembly code and patched assembly code of a program;
• placing the differences in a plurality of sections of one or more intermediate object files associated with the runtime binary patch, wherein the plurality of sections are used by a linker to construct an executable file;
• and
• replacing direct references to objects in the runtime binary patch with two-staged references such that addresses of the objects are read from a placeholder section for dynamic relocations targets;
• and
• load and apply, by a dynamic linker, the runtime binary patch on the program.

A non-transitory computer readable medium storing thereon computer executable instructions for generating and applying loadable patches for a program, including instructions for:

• generating a runtime binary patch compatible with dynamic object loading, by:
• detecting differences in code or data between original assembly code and patched assembly code of a program;
• placing the differences in a plurality of sections of one or more intermediate object files associated with the runtime binary patch, wherein the plurality of sections are used by a linker to construct an executable file;
• and
• replacing direct references to objects in the runtime binary patch with two-staged references such that addresses of the objects are read from a placeholder section for dynamic relocations targets;
• and
• loading and applying, by a dynamic linker, the runtime binary patch on the program.