diff --git a/spectre-meltdown-checker.sh b/spectre-meltdown-checker.sh
index c6515c4..c05671a 100755
--- a/spectre-meltdown-checker.sh
+++ b/spectre-meltdown-checker.sh
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ pstatus()
 
 check_vmlinux()
 {
-	file "$1" 2>/dev/null | grep -q ELF || return 1
+	readelf -h $1 > /dev/null 2>&1 || return 1
 	return 0
 }