diff --git a/kernel/include/sys/elf/ELFLoader.h b/kernel/include/sys/elf/ELFLoader.h
index 68d5bc97..22116bd5 100644
--- a/kernel/include/sys/elf/ELFLoader.h
+++ b/kernel/include/sys/elf/ELFLoader.h
@@ -5,7 +5,9 @@
 
 namespace ELFLoader
 {
-    ELFImage* load_elf_from_vfs(VFS::Node* node);
+    ELFImage* load_elf_from_vfs(VFS::Node* node); // This function assumes check_elf_image has been called first.
     ELFImage* load_elf_from_filesystem(const char* filename);
     void release_elf_image(ELFImage* image);
+    int check_elf_image(VFS::Node* node);
+    int check_elf_image_from_filesystem(const char* filename);
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/kernel/src/memory/Memory.cpp b/kernel/src/memory/Memory.cpp
index 705ed483..6ff02898 100644
--- a/kernel/src/memory/Memory.cpp
+++ b/kernel/src/memory/Memory.cpp
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ uint64_t Memory::get_usable()
 
 bool Memory::is_kernel_address(uintptr_t address)
 {
-    return address > 0xfffffffff8000000;
+    return address >= 0xfffffffff8000000;
 }
 
 bool Memory::is_user_address(uintptr_t address)
diff --git a/kernel/src/sys/elf/ELFLoader.cpp b/kernel/src/sys/elf/ELFLoader.cpp
index ea3ff62c..0bc70cdd 100644
--- a/kernel/src/sys/elf/ELFLoader.cpp
+++ b/kernel/src/sys/elf/ELFLoader.cpp
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
 #define MODULE "elf"
 
 #include "sys/elf/ELFLoader.h"
+#include "assert.h"
+#include "errno.h"
 #include "fs/VFS.h"
 #include "init/InitRD.h"
 #include "log/Log.h"
+#include "memory/Memory.h"
 #include "memory/MemoryManager.h"
 #include "misc/utils.h"
 #include "std/stdlib.h"
@@ -40,44 +43,35 @@ ELFImage* ELFLoader::load_elf_from_filesystem(const char* filename)
     return result;
 }
 
+int ELFLoader::check_elf_image_from_filesystem(const char* filename)
+{
+    VFS::Node* node = VFS::resolve_path(filename);
+
+    if (!node)
+    {
+        kwarnln("Failed to open file %s for checking", filename);
+        return -ENOENT;
+    }
+
+    if (node->type == VFS_DIRECTORY)
+    {
+        kwarnln("Failed to check %s: is a directory", filename);
+        return -EISDIR;
+    }
+
+    return check_elf_image(node);
+}
+
 ELFImage* ELFLoader::load_elf_from_vfs(VFS::Node* node)
 {
     Elf64_Ehdr elf_ehdr;
-    if (VFS::read(node, 0, sizeof(elf_ehdr), (char*)&elf_ehdr) < 0)
-    {
-        kwarnln("Unable to read ELF header");
-        return 0;
-    }
-    if (strncmp((const char*)elf_ehdr.e_ident, ELFMAG, SELFMAG) != 0)
-    {
-        kwarnln("ELF file has invalid magic, skipping");
-        return 0;
-    }
-    if (elf_ehdr.e_ident[EI_CLASS] != ELFCLASS64)
-    {
-        kwarnln("ELF file is not ELF64, skipping");
-        return 0;
-    }
-    if (elf_ehdr.e_ident[EI_DATA] != ELFDATA2LSB)
-    {
-        kwarnln("ELF file is not little-endian, skipping");
-        return 0;
-    }
-    if (elf_ehdr.e_type != ET_EXEC)
-    {
-        kwarnln("not supported: ELF file is not an executable");
-        return 0;
-    }
-    if (elf_ehdr.e_machine != EM_MACH)
-    {
-        kwarnln("Unsupported target machine");
-        return 0;
-    }
-    if (elf_ehdr.e_phnum == 0)
-    {
-        kwarnln("ELF file has no PHDRS");
-        return 0;
-    }
+    ASSERT(VFS::read(node, 0, sizeof(elf_ehdr), (char*)&elf_ehdr) >= 0);
+    ASSERT(strncmp((const char*)elf_ehdr.e_ident, ELFMAG, SELFMAG) == 0);
+    ASSERT(elf_ehdr.e_ident[EI_CLASS] == ELFCLASS64);
+    ASSERT(elf_ehdr.e_ident[EI_DATA] == ELFDATA2LSB);
+    ASSERT(elf_ehdr.e_type == ET_EXEC);
+    ASSERT(elf_ehdr.e_machine == EM_MACH);
+    ASSERT(elf_ehdr.e_phnum != 0);
     ELFImage* image = (ELFImage*)kmalloc(sizeof(ELFImage) - sizeof(ELFSection));
     memset(image, 0, sizeof(ELFImage) - sizeof(ELFSection));
     image->entry = elf_ehdr.e_entry;
@@ -90,11 +84,7 @@ ELFImage* ELFLoader::load_elf_from_vfs(VFS::Node* node)
         {
             kdbgln("Loading loadable segment at address %lx, file size %ld, mem size %ld, permissions %s", phdr.p_vaddr,
                    phdr.p_filesz, phdr.p_memsz, format_permissions(phdr.p_flags));
-            if (!phdr.p_vaddr)
-            {
-                kerrorln("Address is NULL, this is invalid :(");
-                return 0;
-            }
+            ASSERT(phdr.p_vaddr);
             uint64_t pages = Utilities::get_blocks_from_size(PAGE_SIZE, (phdr.p_vaddr % PAGE_SIZE) + phdr.p_memsz);
             void* buffer = (void*)((uint64_t)MemoryManager::get_pages_at(
                                        Utilities::round_down_to_nearest_page(phdr.p_vaddr), pages,
@@ -111,14 +101,76 @@ ELFImage* ELFLoader::load_elf_from_vfs(VFS::Node* node)
         }
         else { kdbgln("skipping non-loadable segment"); }
     }
-    if (!image->section_count)
-    {
-        kfree(image);
-        return 0;
-    }
+    ASSERT(image->section_count);
     return image;
 }
 
+int ELFLoader::check_elf_image(VFS::Node* node)
+{
+    Elf64_Ehdr elf_ehdr;
+    if (VFS::read(node, 0, sizeof(elf_ehdr), (char*)&elf_ehdr) < 0)
+    {
+        kwarnln("Unable to read ELF header");
+        return -1;
+    }
+    if (strncmp((const char*)elf_ehdr.e_ident, ELFMAG, SELFMAG) != 0)
+    {
+        kwarnln("ELF file has invalid magic, skipping");
+        return -1;
+    }
+    if (elf_ehdr.e_ident[EI_CLASS] != ELFCLASS64)
+    {
+        kwarnln("ELF file is not ELF64, skipping");
+        return -1;
+    }
+    if (elf_ehdr.e_ident[EI_DATA] != ELFDATA2LSB)
+    {
+        kwarnln("ELF file is not little-endian, skipping");
+        return -1;
+    }
+    if (elf_ehdr.e_type != ET_EXEC)
+    {
+        kwarnln("not supported: ELF file is not an executable");
+        return -1;
+    }
+    if (elf_ehdr.e_machine != EM_MACH)
+    {
+        kwarnln("Unsupported target machine");
+        return -1;
+    }
+    if (elf_ehdr.e_phnum == 0)
+    {
+        kwarnln("ELF file has no PHDRS");
+        return -1;
+    }
+    int i, loadable_sections;
+    Elf64_Phdr phdr;
+    for (VFS::read(node, elf_ehdr.e_phoff, sizeof(Elf64_Phdr), (char*)&phdr), i = 0; i < elf_ehdr.e_phnum;
+         i++, VFS::read(node, elf_ehdr.e_phoff + (i * elf_ehdr.e_phentsize), sizeof(Elf64_Phdr), (char*)&phdr))
+    {
+        if (phdr.p_type == PT_LOAD)
+        {
+            if (!phdr.p_vaddr)
+            {
+                kerrorln("segment address is NULL, this is invalid :(");
+                return -1;
+            }
+            if (Memory::is_kernel_address(phdr.p_vaddr) || Memory::is_kernel_address(phdr.p_vaddr + phdr.p_memsz))
+            {
+                kerrorln("trying to load ELF into kernel memory");
+                return -1;
+            }
+            loadable_sections++;
+        }
+    }
+    if (!loadable_sections)
+    {
+        kwarnln("No loadable sections");
+        return -1;
+    }
+    return 0;
+}
+
 void ELFLoader::release_elf_image(ELFImage* image)
 {
     for (uint64_t i = 0; i < image->section_count; i++)
diff --git a/kernel/src/thread/Scheduler.cpp b/kernel/src/thread/Scheduler.cpp
index 05136040..8d8a85c6 100644
--- a/kernel/src/thread/Scheduler.cpp
+++ b/kernel/src/thread/Scheduler.cpp
@@ -117,11 +117,19 @@ void Scheduler::add_user_task(void* task)
 void Scheduler::load_user_task(const char* filename)
 {
     kinfoln("Loading user task: %s", filename);
+    Interrupts::push_and_disable();
+    if (ELFLoader::check_elf_image_from_filesystem(filename) < 0)
+    {
+        kerrorln("Failed to load %s from initrd", filename);
+        return;
+    }
     Task* new_task = new Task;
     ASSERT(new_task);
     memset(&new_task->regs, 0, sizeof(Context));
     new_task->id = free_tid++;
-    ELFImage* image = ELFLoader::load_elf_from_filesystem(filename);
+    ELFImage* image = ELFLoader::load_elf_from_filesystem(
+        filename); // FIXME: TOCTOU? Right now, impossible, since interrupts are disabled and SMP is not a thing. But in
+                   // the future, it might be possible.
     if (!image)
     {
         kerrorln("Failed to load %s from initrd", filename);
@@ -150,6 +158,7 @@ void Scheduler::load_user_task(const char* filename)
     task_num++;
     kinfoln("Adding user task: loaded at %lx, tid %ld, stack at %lx, total tasks: %ld", new_task->regs.rip,
             new_task->id, new_task->regs.rsp, task_num);
+    Interrupts::pop();
 }
 
 void Scheduler::reset_task(Task* task, ELFImage* new_image)