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Self-modifying code

In computer science, self-modifying code (SMC or SMoC) is code that alters its own instructions while it is executing – usually to reduce the instruction path length and improve performance or simply to reduce otherwise repetitively similar code, thus simplifying maintenance. The term is usually only applied to code where the self-modification is…

History, Applications & Science

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Overview

Application in low and high level languages

History

Usage

Interaction of cache and self-modifying code

Security issues

Advantages

Disadvantages

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Self-modifying code

Nodes147
Edges146
Triples125
Avg. degree1.99
Density0.013605
Components1

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Self-modifying code

Top relations

related to Usage · 18
Self-modifying code → Altering, Booting, Compressing, Dynamic, Early, Evolutionary, Filling, For, Hiding, However, OISC, Patching, RAM, Run-time, Self-modifying, Semi-automatic, Since, Some
related to High-level languages · 15
Self-modifying code → Algol, B6700, Clipper, COBOL, For, JavaScript, Other, Perl, Python, SNOBOL, Some, SPITBOL, The, The Algol, With
related to Massalin's Synthesis kernel · 10
Self-modifying code → Alexia Massalin's Ph, Generating, However, JIT, Massalin's, Such, Synthesis, The, The Synthesis, Unix
related to Assembly language · 9
Self-modifying code → Alternative, CPU, IBM/360, In, Instructions, It, Self-modifying, The, With
related to history · 8
Self-modifying code → Donald Knuth's MIX, However, In, It, January, RISC, The IBM SSEC, This
related to Operating systems · 8
Self-modifying code → ARM, ARM64, CPU, DR-DOS, IA-32, Regardless, The Linux, To
related to Security issues · 8
Self-modifying code → Because, On Linux, One, Other, Some, SysV, The, This
related to Interaction of cache and self-modifying code · 7
Self-modifying code → ARM, Each, In, MIPS, On, SPARC, This
related to Use as camouflage · 6
Self-modifying code → Apple II, For, IBM PC, Modifying, Self-modifying, Viruses
see also · 6
Self-modifying code → Dynamic, Example, Just-in-time, Overlapping, Self-replicationReflective, This

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Important terminology

code self-modifying memory instruction instructions used example program use may language kernel self-modification systems programs could one execute also file

Entity relationships Subject–Predicate–Object triples

SubjectPredicateObjectConfidenceSrc
a buffer overflow.Self-modifying code can involve overwriting existing instructions or generating new code at run timeinstance ofnot in situations where code accidentally modifies itself due to an error0.80text
transferring control to that code.Self-modification can be used as an alternative to the method ofinstance ofnot in situations where code accidentally modifies itself due to an error0.80text
opcodeinstance ofor parts of instructions0.80text
registerinstance ofor parts of instructions0.80text
flags or addressesinstance ofor parts of instructions0.80text
neuroevolutioninstance ofEvolutionary computing systems0.80text
genetic programminginstance ofEvolutionary computing systems0.80text
other evolutionary algorithms.Hiding of code to prevent reverse engineeringinstance ofEvolutionary computing systems0.80text
averageinstance ofChoosing this solution must depend on the value of N and the frequency of state changing.SpecializationSuppose a set of statistics0.80text
extremainstance ofChoosing this solution must depend on the value of N and the frequency of state changing.SpecializationSuppose a set of statistics0.80text
location of extremainstance ofChoosing this solution must depend on the value of N and the frequency of state changing.SpecializationSuppose a set of statistics0.80text
standard deviationinstance ofChoosing this solution must depend on the value of N and the frequency of state changing.SpecializationSuppose a set of statistics0.80text

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