executable packer

Definitions

A software tool that compresses or encrypts an executable file, often to reduce its size or protect its code from reverse engineering.

A program that wraps an executable within a self-extracting archive, which decompresses the original code into memory at runtime to allow it to execute.

Examples

The security analyst identified the suspicious file as being compressed with a common executable packer.

Using an executable packer can help developers protect their intellectual property by obfuscating the underlying machine code.

Many malware authors utilize an executable packer to evade signature-based detection by antivirus software.

Synonyms

binary compressor runtime packer executable compressor code obfuscator self-extracting archive payload wrapper executable shrinker

Antonyms

unpacker decompressor binary extractor deobfuscator disassembler static analyzer unpacked executable