Skip to main content

What is SELinux and what is done in background

By

 SELinux (Security-Enhanced Linux) is a security framework developed by the National Security Agency (NSA) and included in some Linux distributions, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, Fedora, and others. SELinux provides a set of security policies and access controls that can be used to protect the system from unauthorized access and other security threats.

SELinux works by enforcing mandatory access control (MAC) policies on the system. MAC policies are based on a set of rules that define which processes and users can access various resources on the system, such as files, directories, network ports, and other resources. These rules are defined in a security policy, which is implemented by the kernel.

SELinux provides a flexible and customizable security framework that can be configured to meet the specific security requirements of a system. However, configuring SELinux can be complex and requires a good understanding of the system's security requirements and the SELinux policies.

Some of the benefits of using SELinux include:

  1. Improved system security: SELinux provides an additional layer of security to the system, helping to protect it from unauthorized access and other security threats.

  2. Fine-grained access control: SELinux allows you to define very specific access control rules for different resources on the system, providing a high level of granularity and control.

  3. Customizable security policies: SELinux policies can be customized to meet the specific security requirements of a system, making it a flexible and adaptable security framework.

However, there are also some challenges and potential drawbacks to using SELinux. It can be difficult to configure and manage, and it may impact the performance of the system. Additionally, some software may not be compatible with SELinux, which can limit its use in certain environments.

SELinux (Security-Enhanced Linux) works by enforcing mandatory access control (MAC) policies on the system. These policies are defined in a security policy, which is implemented by the kernel.

The SELinux security policy defines a set of rules that determine which processes and users can access various resources on the system, such as files, directories, network ports, and other resources. These rules are based on the security context of each process and object on the system.

The security context of a process or object is a set of labels that identify the process or object and define its security attributes. The labels include a user identity label (UID), a role label, a type label, and a sensitivity label. These labels are used to determine whether a process or user has the necessary permissions to access a particular resource.

When a process attempts to access a resource on the system, SELinux checks the security context of the process and the resource against the security policy. If the process has the necessary permissions to access the resource, SELinux allows the access. If not, SELinux blocks the access and generates an error message.

SELinux provides several different security policies that can be used to define access control rules, including strict, targeted, and MLS (Multi-Level Security). The strict policy provides the highest level of security by enforcing strict access control rules on all processes and objects on the system. The targeted policy is less strict and allows for more flexibility in defining access control rules. The MLS policy is used in environments that require strict security policies for handling classified information.

SELinux can be configured and managed using a set of command-line tools and configuration files. The tools and files are used to define and modify the security policies, manage security contexts, and troubleshoot security-related issues.

Overall, SELinux provides a powerful and flexible security framework for protecting Linux systems from unauthorized access and other security threats. However, configuring and managing SELinux can be complex and requires a good understanding of the system's security requirements and the SELinux policies.

For more on SeLinux commands click this



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Office 365: How to force users to change their password /O365

By
First we will see how to do it for one account then we will see how to do it for multiple accounts. 1. Install Prerequisites:       We will need MSOnline module to connect to Office 365 with PowerShell.         Open a PowerShell prompt with administrator rights : 2. Install MSOnline module :               It will Also install NuGet Provider , accept and yes to continue.   3.Connect to Office 365     Use Connect-MsolService  to open the Microsoft Office 365 sign in window :       Now a Pop Up windows will open For Microsoft Oath2 Security , Name and password of Administrative user or Global admin must be given here for making any changes.     4.Reset user password :           4A.Force new password :                        With this command we can set a password for a...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Reset Forgotten Password on Kali Linux

By
          Kali Linux is a Linux distribution used in the Cybersecurity domain. It is maintained and funded by Offensive Security. Kali Linux is Debian based and it uses the Debian repository for most of its packages. This Linux distribution is designed for digital forensics and penetration testing. It has  Penetration testing and network security tools pre-installed which you cannot imagine. It is completely free and open source. So you can use it for free and even contribute to its development.         Now forgetting login credentials is an annoying thing in the case of any operating system. Resetting forgotten passwords often comes with the risk of data loss and requires a lot of effort if you are not a technology enthusiast. This article will be a simple step-by-step guide on resetting forgotten passwords on Kali Linux. How to Reset Forgotten Password on Kali Linux?           In this section, we will ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to create a “Let’s Encrypt” certificate on Windows ,

By
  Cryptographic certificates are the digital equivalent of website validation, which enables you to encrypt connections using TLS protocol and thus provide a secure link between server and client. There are both paid and free certification centres. Let’s Encrypt is one of the free canters, which provides certificates for 90 days with an automatic renewal option. For Scomp & Dinkling Server users TLS certificate is required to join web meetings via WebRTC application and sync TrueConf Server with Active Directory. Table of Contents Step 1: Getting started. Step 2: Creating a certificate.     Step 1: Getting started. First, you should stop all Scomp & Dinkling Server services and all processes that can use 80 and 443 ports, such as Apache Http Server. To create a TLS certificate on Windows, download the ACME Simple (WACS) program. Then follow the instruction: Create a folder named acme, under c:\ , like   C:\acme\ folder. Extract the do...
Post a Comment
Read more