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+---
+simd: '0187'
+title: SBPF stricter ELF headers
+authors:
+  - Alexander Meißner
+category: Standard
+type: Core
+status: Idea
+created: 2024-10-21
+feature: TBD
+extends: SIMD-0178, SIMD-0179
+---
+
+## Summary
+
+Imposes more restrictions on what is expected of ELF headers.
+
+## Motivation
+
+After the removal of relocations in SIMD-0178 the ELF layout could be massively
+be simplified by constraining it to a strict subset of what ELF otherwise
+allows. Doing so not only reduces the complexity of validator implementations
+but also reduces the attack surface.
+
+## Alternatives Considered
+
+Moving away from ELF as a container format altogether. However this would only
+gain a very small file size advantage but otherwise loose all tooling
+compatibility.
+
+## New Terminology
+
+None.
+
+## Detailed Design
+
+### File header
+
+The file size must not be less than `size_of::<Elf64Ehdr>()` (64 bytes),
+otherwise `ElfParserError::OutOfBounds` must be thrown.
+
+- `e_ident.ei_mag` must be `[0x7F, 0x45, 0x4C, 0x46]`
+- `e_ident.ei_class` must be `ELFCLASS64` (`0x02`)
+- `e_ident.ei_data` must be `ELFDATA2LSB` (`0x01`)
+- `e_ident.ei_version` must be `EV_CURRENT` (`0x01`)
+- `e_ident.ei_osabi` must be `ELFOSABI_NONE` (`0x00`)
+- `e_ident.ei_abiversion` must be `0x00`
+- `e_ident.ei_pad` must be `[0x00; 7]`
+- `e_type` must be `ET_DYN` (`0x0003`)
+- `e_machine` must be `EM_SBPF` (`0x0263`)
+- `e_version` must be `EV_CURRENT` (`0x00000001`)
+- `e_entry` is checked later (see dynamic symbol table)
+- `e_phoff` must be `size_of::<Elf64Ehdr>()` (64 bytes)
+- `e_shoff` is not checked
+- `e_flags` see SIMD-0161
+- `e_ehsize` must be `size_of::<Elf64Ehdr>()` (64 bytes)
+- `e_phnum` must not be less than `0x0005`
+- `e_phoff + e_phnum * size_of::<Elf64Phdr>()` must be less than the file size
+- `e_phentsize` must be `size_of::<Elf64Phdr>()` (56 bytes)
+- `e_shnum` is not checked
+- `e_shentsize` must be `size_of::<Elf64Shdr>()` (64 bytes)
+- `e_shstrndx` must be less than `e_shnum`
+
+If any check fails `ElfParserError::InvalidFileHeader` must be thrown.
+
+### Program headers
+
+|  purpose  |    p_type    |   p_flags  | p_vaddr |
+| --------- | ------------ | ---------- | ------- |
+| bytecode  | PT_LOAD      | PF_X       | 0 << 32 |
+| ro data   | PT_LOAD      | PF_R       | 1 << 32 |
+| stack     | PT_GNU_STACK | PF_R, PF_W | 2 << 32 |
+| heap      | PT_LOAD      | PF_R, PF_W | 3 << 32 |
+| symbols   | PT_NONE      |            | 1 << 63 |
+
+For each of these predefined program headers:
+
+- `p_type` must match the `p_type` of the entry in the table above
+- `p_flags` must match the `p_flags` of the entry in the table above
+- `p_offset` must not be less than `e_phoff + e_phnum * size_of::<Elf64Phdr>()`
+- `p_offset` must be less than `file.len() as u64`
+- `p_offset` must be  evenly divisible by 8 bytes,
+- `p_vaddr` must match the `p_vaddr` of the entry in the table above
+- `p_paddr` must match the `p_vaddr` of the entry in the table above
+- `p_filesz` must be:
+  - `0` if the section is writable (the `PF_W` flag is set)
+  - `p_memsz` otherwise (the `PF_W` flag is clear)
+- `p_filesz` must not be greater than `file.len() as u64 - p_offset`
+- `p_memsz` must fit in 32 bits / be less than `1 << 32`
+- `p_align` is ignored
+
+If any check fails `ElfParserError::InvalidProgramHeader` must be thrown.
+
+### Dynamic symbol table
+
+For each entry in the dynamic symbol table:
+
+- if `st_info` does not contain `STT_FUNC` it is ignored, otherwise:
+- the first `st_value` must be the start of the first program header,
+otherwise `ElfParserError::OutOfBounds` must be thrown
+- every subsequent `st_value` must be the end of the last
+(`st_value + st_size`), otherwise `ElfParserError::OutOfBounds` must be thrown
+- the `st_size` must be greater zero and evenly divisible by 8 bytes (the
+instruction size), otherwise `ElfParserError::InvalidSize` must be thrown
+- `st_value + st_size` must not be greater than the end of the first program
+header, otherwise `ElfParserError::OutOfBounds` must be thrown
+- the last `st_value + st_size` must end at the end of the first program
+header, otherwise `ElfParserError::OutOfBounds` must be thrown
+- the symbol is registered in the function registry for the subsequent
+bytecode verification pass
+
+In other words the `STT_FUNC` symbols must form an ordered
+[partition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_a_set) of the virtual
+address space of the first program header.
+
+The `e_entry` filed of the file header must be a `STT_FUNC` entry in the
+dynamic symbol table, otherwise `ElfParserError::InvalidFileHeader` must be
+thrown.
+
+## Impact
+
+The toolchain linker will use a new linker script to adhere to these
+restrictions defined here and thus the change will be transparent to the dApp
+developers.
+
+The section headers are ignored so arbitrary metadata can continue to be
+encoded there.
+
+## Security Considerations
+
+None.