shellcode

S1H4E1L1L1C3O1D2E1

noun

A small piece of code, used as the payload of a virus or other malware, that launches a shell so that the attacker can control the compromised computer.

UncommonScrabble 15
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounshellcode (countable and uncountable, plural shellcodes)

plural shellcodes

  1. countableuncountablecomputingA small piece of code, used as the payload of a virus or other malware, that launches a shell so that the attacker can control the compromised computer.

    In ELF executables, there aren't a whole lot of code caves (such as in the PE format), so you are not likely to be able to shove more than just a meager amount of shellcode into existing code slots […]

    2016, Ryan "elfmaster" O'Neill, Learning Linux Binary Analysis (page 97)

Origin

From shell + code.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

shellcode. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shellcode

MLA

“shellcode.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shellcode. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shellcode,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shellcode.

Source: shellcode on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.