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brew

Install execstack with Homebrew, dnf, apt, zypper

Utility to set/clear/query executable stack bit. Version 20130503 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-03.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install execstack

local Homebrew formula metadata

overview

Package summary

Utility to set/clear/query executable stack bit

Commands and aliases

  • execstack

history

Project history and usage

execstack is a small ELF hardening utility from the prelink project. It exists to query, set, or clear the executable-stack requirement recorded in ELF program headers.

Project history

The tool belongs to the early-2000s Linux transition away from assuming that process stacks were executable. Jakub Jelinek's 2003 binutils work introduced PT_GNU_STACK so compilers, assemblers, and linkers could describe whether an executable stack was needed; execstack provided a post-link command-line way to inspect and override that metadata.

The upstream prelink archive shows prelink tarballs beginning in 2001 and continuing through a 2013 snapshot. The execstack manual page was obtained from the prelink-20130503 tarball and dates the utility's documentation to October 2003.

Adoption history

execstack became a packaging and security-maintenance utility rather than a day-to-day application. It is most useful when a third-party ELF binary or shared object has incorrect PT_GNU_STACK markings and a packager needs to verify or clear them without rebuilding the original source.

How it is used

The common workflow is intentionally narrow: run execstack -q to report whether files require an executable stack, execstack -c to mark known-safe objects as not requiring one, or execstack -s for the rare case where a binary really needs executable stack support.

Why package nerds care

Package maintainers care about execstack because it sits at the boundary between compiler metadata, linker policy, and runtime hardening. A single bad executable-stack bit can change security posture, so a tiny utility remains useful even after prelink itself stopped being fashionable.

Timeline

  • 2001: The prelink archive begins publishing source snapshots.
  • 2003: PT_GNU_STACK support is proposed for binutils.
  • 2003: execstack documentation describes querying and changing PT_GNU_STACK markings.
  • 2013: The prelink archive publishes a later source snapshot used by manual-page renderers.

Related projects

  • execstack is tied to prelink, GNU binutils, GCC .note.GNU-stack metadata, and ELF dynamic-linker hardening behavior.

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

  • narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

  • metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 2 platform targets.
  • Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
execstackcliglobal executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08
manager version20130503
manager updated2026-07-03
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://people.redhat.com/jakub/prelink/

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:execstack
Version20130503
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/execstack
Homepagehttps://people.redhat.com/jakub/prelink/
Upstream docshttps://people.redhat.com/jakub/prelink
LicenseGPL-2.0-or-later
Source archivehttps://people.redhat.com/jakub/prelink/prelink-20130503.tar.bz2
Last updated2026-07-03T15:24:00-04:00
Pulseupdated
Dependencieselfutils
Bottleavailable (on arm64_linux, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Nameexecstack
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Requirements
  • linux
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Ubuntu apt95%

execstack 0.0.20131005-1.1ubuntu1

ELF GNU_STACK program header editing utility

sudo apt install execstack
  • Section: universe/admin
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: prelink
  • 3 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Execstack
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: execstack from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
dnf95%

execstack 0.5.0-32.fc44

Utility to set/clear/query executable stack bit

sudo dnf install execstack
  • License: GPL-2.0-or-later
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: execstack
  • 10 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Execstack
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: execstack from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
zypper95%

execstack 0.5.0-5.6

Utility to set/clear/query executable stack bit

https://github.com/keszybz/prelink/archive

sudo zypper install execstack
  • License: GPL-2.0-or-later
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: execstack
  • 9 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Execstack
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: execstack from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Related tools

  • elfutilsRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.

Same workflow

  • redressShares av.db curated category or tags: binary-analysis, cli, security.
  • modsurferShares av.db curated category or tags: binary-analysis, cli, security.
  • retdecShares av.db curated category or tags: binary-analysis, cli, security.
  • rizinShares av.db curated category or tags: binary-analysis, cli, security.
  • aideShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, security.
  • aircrack-ngShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, security.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Used sources

  • Geiger risk classifier
  • Nucleus package database
  • av.db category and tag curation
  • cross-ecosystem install command graph
  • curated package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • package relationship graph
  • package version freshness
  • package-page enrichment