You're reading from SELinux System Administration, Third Edition Implement mandatory access control to secure applications, users, and information flows on Linux

Product type Paperback

Published in Dec 2020

Publisher Packt

ISBN-13 9781800201477

Length 458 pages

Edition 3rd Edition

Tools

Docker

Concepts

System Administration

Author (1):

Sven Vermeulen

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Table of Contents (22) Chapters

Preface

1. Section 1: Using SELinux

2. Chapter 1: Fundamental SELinux Concepts FREE CHAPTER

3. Chapter 2: Understanding SELinux Decisions and Logging

4. Chapter 3: Managing User Logins

5. Chapter 4: Using File Contexts and Process Domains

6. Chapter 5: Controlling Network Communications

7. Chapter 6: Configuring SELinux through Infrastructure-as-Code Orchestration

8. Section 2: SELinux-Aware Platforms

9. Chapter 7: Configuring Application-Specific SELinux Controls

10. Chapter 8: SEPostgreSQL – Extending PostgreSQL with SELinux

11. Chapter 9: Secure Virtualization

12. Chapter 10: Using Xen Security Modules with FLASK

13. Chapter 11: Enhancing the Security of Containerized Workloads

14. Section 3: Policy Management

15. Chapter 12: Tuning SELinux Policies

16. Chapter 13: Analyzing Policy Behavior

17. Chapter 14: Dealing with New Applications

18. Chapter 15: Using the Reference Policy

19. Chapter 16: Developing Policies with SELinux CIL

20. Assessments

21. Other Books You May Enjoy

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Chapter 16: Developing Policies with SELinux CIL

While the reference policy is the most frequently used language and development style for SELinux policies, the Common Intermediate Language (CIL) is a powerful, but more low-level language construct to use to develop SELinux policies. Low-level as it might be though, it is still very much readable and well supported, as SELinux tools will use CIL under the hood when using other languages.

Since CIL is the main language used, we know it can be used to build entire policies. Sadly, there are no supporting constructs available for developers to use, unlike the reference policy. However, we can still learn how to customize the current policy, creating specific definitions that are not possible with the more common reference policy, and even build a complete application policy if we choose.

In this chapter, we're going to cover the following main topics: