Futkódik

Futkódik is a Hungarian neologism in computing that refers to the practice or phenomenon of encoding instructions in a form that is intended to be executed later or under specific conditions during program run time. The term blends fut ('to run, execute') with kódik ('codes'), signaling a runtime-oriented encoding of code rather than static source text.

Origins: Futkódik emerged in Hungarian programming circles in the 2010s as a descriptive shorthand for dynamic code generation, code obfuscation, and similar techniques. It is used to describe both legitimate techniques and situations where code is hidden or transformed for execution under certain conditions.

Technical scope: Futkódik covers mechanisms where code is produced or transformed at runtime from data, scripts, or encrypted payloads, and then decoded or interpreted by a virtual machine, interpreter, or JIT compiler. It includes legitimate techniques such as dynamic code generation in JIT, metaprogramming, and template-based code emission, as well as potentially questionable practices like self-modifying code or obfuscated payloads.

Examples: A script stores executable payload as base64 and decodes and executes it at runtime; a program emits machine code for a function and calls it; a bytecode interpreter decodes instructions on the fly.

Impact and challenges: The approach can introduce speed overhead and portability concerns, and raises security and maintainability challenges. Debugging and testing can be more complex due to the dynamic nature of the generated or decoded code.

See also: dynamic code generation; just-in-time compilation; self-modifying code; code obfuscation.