code cave

code cave (plural code caves)

1. (programming) A sequence of null bytes in a process's memory, offering the capacity for the injection of custom instructions by a hacker.
   • 2016, Nick Cano, Game Hacking: Developing Autonomous Bots for Online Games:

     Once a code cave is created, you can execute it using either thread injection or thread hijacking.

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

     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 […]