diff --git a/syft/file/cataloger/executable/cataloger.go b/syft/file/cataloger/executable/cataloger.go
index 301b31ba4e4..e75eb813f45 100644
--- a/syft/file/cataloger/executable/cataloger.go
+++ b/syft/file/cataloger/executable/cataloger.go
@@ -66,7 +66,15 @@ func (i *Cataloger) Catalog(resolver file.Resolver) (map[file.Coordinates]file.E
 			log.WithFields("error", err).Warnf("unable to get file contents for %q", loc.RealPath)
 			continue
 		}
-		exec, err := processExecutable(loc, reader.(unionreader.UnionReader))
+
+		uReader, err := unionreader.GetUnionReader(reader)
+		if err != nil {
+			// TODO: known-unknowns
+			log.WithFields("error", err).Warnf("unable to get union reader for %q", loc.RealPath)
+			continue
+		}
+
+		exec, err := processExecutable(loc, uReader)
 		if err != nil {
 			log.WithFields("error", err).Warnf("unable to process executable %q", loc.RealPath)
 		}
diff --git a/syft/internal/unionreader/union_reader.go b/syft/internal/unionreader/union_reader.go
index 2e75463044a..86a493ad091 100644
--- a/syft/internal/unionreader/union_reader.go
+++ b/syft/internal/unionreader/union_reader.go
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/internal/log"
 )
 
-// unionReader is a single interface with all reading functions needed by multi-arch binary catalogers
+// UnionReader is a single interface with all reading functions needed by multi-arch binary catalogers
 // cataloger.
 type UnionReader interface {
 	io.Reader
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ type UnionReader interface {
 	io.Closer
 }
 
-// getReaders extracts one or more io.ReaderAt objects representing binaries that can be processed (multiple binaries in the case for multi-architecture binaries).
+// GetReaders extracts one or more io.ReaderAt objects representing binaries that can be processed (multiple binaries in the case for multi-architecture binaries).
 func GetReaders(f UnionReader) ([]io.ReaderAt, error) {
 	if macho.IsUniversalMachoBinary(f) {
 		machoReaders, err := macho.ExtractReaders(f)