Mandatory Access Control with AppArmor
Armor On

© Lead Image © Fotum, Fotolia.com
Today's security environment is a tumultuous landscape riddled with threats. AppArmor offers an extra ring of protection for your system, and it is easier to learn and implement than many alternative mandatory access control solutions.
Mandatory Access Control (MAC) is a policy-based security framework that augments conventional security systems by providing an additional layer of protection. Unlike normal permissions, which revolve around performing functions on a filesystem, MAC deals with applications rather than files and directories. MAC doesn't replace existing permissions but supplements them. Since Linux Kernel 2.6, all the MAC versions are implemented over the Linux Security Module (LSM) framework. This article will focus on AppArmor [1], which has been around since 1998 and has been supported by Canonical since 2009.
One advantage of a policy-based model is that a policy cannot be changed by the user, unlike normal permissions, which can be changed if you have sufficient rights. Another added benefit is that it is applicable to all users, even those with superuser privileges.
AppArmor: A Beginner's Delight
Policy-based systems have a higher learning curve, but even the most basic MAC will bolster the system security. Many policy-based systems are so complex that users don't delve deeply enough to implement them effectively. One benefit of AppArmor is that it is comprehensive, yet simple enough to deploy with minimal investment of time and training.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Kali Linux 2025.3 Released with New Hacking Tools
If you're a Kali Linux fan, you'll be glad to know that the third release of this famous pen-testing distribution is now available with updates for key components.
-
Zorin OS 18 Beta Available for Testing
The latest release from the team behind Zorin OS is ready for public testing, and it includes plenty of improvements to make it more powerful, user-friendly, and productive.
-
Fedora Linux 43 Beta Now Available for Testing
Fedora Linux 43 Beta ships with Gnome 49 and KDE Plasma 6.4 (and other goodies).
-
USB4 Maintainer Leaves Intel
Michael Jamet, one of the primary maintainers of USB4 and Thunderbolt drivers, has left Intel, leaving a gaping hole for the Linux community to deal with.
-
Budgie 10.9.3 Now Available
The latest version of this elegant and configurable Linux desktop aligns with changes in Gnome 49.
-
KDE Linux Alpha Available for Daring Users
It's official, KDE Linux has arrived, but it's not quite ready for prime time.
-
AMD Initiates Graphics Driver Updates for Linux Kernel 6.18
This new AMD update focuses on power management, display handling, and hardware support for Radeon GPUs.
-
AerynOS Alpha Release Available
With a choice of several desktop environments, AerynOS 2025.08 is almost ready to be your next operating system.
-
AUR Repository Still Under DDoS Attack
Arch User Repository continues to be under a DDoS attack that has been going on for more than two weeks.
-
RingReaper Malware Poses Danger to Linux Systems
A new kind of malware exploits modern Linux kernels for I/O operations.