{
    "mode": "man",
    "parameter": "paxctl",
    "section": "1",
    "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/paxctl/1/json",
    "generated": "2026-05-30T05:14:51Z",
    "sections": {
        "NAME": {
            "content": "paxctl - user-space utility to control PaX flags\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SYNTAX": {
            "content": "paxctl <flags> <files>\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "DESCRIPTION": {
            "content": "paxctl  is a tool that allows PaX flags to be modified on a per-binary basis.  PaX is part of\ncommon security-enhancing kernel patches and secure distributions,  such  as  GrSecurity  and\nHardened  Gentoo,  respectively.  Your system needs to be running a properly patched and con‐\nfigured kernel for this program to have any effect.\n",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "-P",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-P"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-p",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-p"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-E",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-E"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-e",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-e"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-M",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-M"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-m",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-m"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-R",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-R"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-r",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-r"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-X",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-X"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-x",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-x"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-S",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-S"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-s",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-s"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-v",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-v"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-z",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-z"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-c",
                    "content": "PTGNUSTACK program header if it exists\n",
                    "flag": "-c"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-C",
                    "content": "header, if it is possible\n",
                    "flag": "-C"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-q",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-q"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-Q",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-Q"
                }
            ]
        },
        "CAVEATS": {
            "content": "The old PaX flag location and control method have been obsoleted, if your kernel and binaries\nuse  it you have to use chpax(1) instead (it is recommended to use PTPAXFLAGS along with -c\nor -C however).\n\nConverting PTGNUSTACK into PTPAXFLAGS means that the information in  the  former  is  de‐\nstroyed, in particular you must make sure that the EMUTRAMP PaX option is properly set in the\nnewly created PTPAXFLAGS.  The secure way is to disable EMUTRAMP first and if  PaX  reports\nstack execution attempts from nested function trampolines then enable it.\n\nNote  that  the  new  PTPAXFLAGS is created in the same state that binutils/ld itself would\nproduce (equivalent to -zex).\n\nNote that if you use both PTPAXFLAGS and the extended attribute PaX flags on a binary  then\nthey must be exactly the same (except for RANDEXEC).\n\nNote  that  RANDEXEC is no longer supported by PaX kernels since 2.6.13, the paxctl flags are\nsimply ignored there.\n\nNote that paxctl does not make backup copies of the files it modifies.\n\nNote that paxctl is meant to work on the native  architecture's  binaries  only,  however  it\nshould  work on foreign binaries as long as they have the same endianess as the native archi‐\ntecture (e.g., an i386 paxctl should work on amd64 or little-endian arm but not on big-endian\nmips binaries).\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "AUTHOR": {
            "content": "Written by The PaX Team <pageexec@freemail.hu>\n\nThis  manpage  was  adapted  from  the chpax manpage written by Martin F. Krafft <madduck@de‐\nbian.org> for the Debian GNU/Linux Distribution, but may be used by others.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SEE ALSO": {
            "content": "chpax(1), gradm(8)\n\nPaX website: http://pax.grsecurity.net\n\nGrSecurity website: http://www.grsecurity.net\n\nHardened Gentoo website: http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/hardened\n\n\n\npaxctl Manual                                2012-02-19                                    paxctl(1)",
            "subsections": []
        }
    },
    "summary": "paxctl - user-space utility to control PaX flags",
    "flags": [
        {
            "flag": "-P",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        },
        {
            "flag": "-p",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        },
        {
            "flag": "-E",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        },
        {
            "flag": "-e",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        },
        {
            "flag": "-M",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        },
        {
            "flag": "-m",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        },
        {
            "flag": "-R",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        },
        {
            "flag": "-r",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        },
        {
            "flag": "-X",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        },
        {
            "flag": "-x",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        },
        {
            "flag": "-S",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        },
        {
            "flag": "-s",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        },
        {
            "flag": "-v",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        },
        {
            "flag": "-z",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        },
        {
            "flag": "-c",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": "PTGNUSTACK program header if it exists"
        },
        {
            "flag": "-C",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": "header, if it is possible"
        },
        {
            "flag": "-q",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        },
        {
            "flag": "-Q",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        }
    ],
    "examples": [],
    "see_also": [
        {
            "name": "chpax",
            "section": "1",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/chpax/1/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "gradm",
            "section": "8",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/gradm/8/json"
        }
    ]
}