Key structural differences between Linux ELF and Windows PE executables:

• ELF (Executable and Linkable Format):
  • ELF Header -> Program Header Table (Segments: PT_LOAD, PT_DYNAMIC) -> Section Header Table (.text, .rodata, .bss).
  • Dynamic linking uses Global Offset Table (GOT) and Procedure Linkage Table (PLT).
• PE/COFF (Portable Executable):
  • DOS Header (MZ) -> PE Header (PE\0\0) -> Optional Header -> Section Table (.text, .rdata, .pdata).
  • Dynamic linking uses Import Address Table (IAT) populated by Windows loader.

Great comparative analysis. Both achieve similar goals with different metadata organizations.

Understanding the GOT/PLT lazy binding mechanism is vital for Linux binary analysis.