FOSSPicks
App sandbox
Firejail
Linux is secure, not just because of its relative obscurity, but because of the various levels of isolation it employs. This is something the Linux kernel is very good at, and something that's used to the fullest extent in the various virtualization and container solutions that have made Linux so popular on the cloud. However, it's not always easy to take advantage of all this isolation technology when you're a regular user. Sometimes you need ad-hoc isolation to run something of unknown providence, and spinning up a virtual machine just to set a download is often overkill. This is where Firejail can help.
Firejail is a little like a firewall to protect your operating system from your applications, using the power of SUID, Linux namespaces, and seccomp
to limit an application's view of your wider system. It's like a service only having access to port 22 on a server; only with Firejail, you can isolate anything – including servers themselves. It works as a kind of sandbox and is run from the command line with the name of the command as its argument. There's a GUI too, called Firetools, which acts as a simple panel launcher, so you can quickly run your most common applications without having to enter the command line. It even includes its own process manager and configuration tool, so you can easily add applications and commands and set which security profile they're going to use. Another excellent feature, currently in development, is Firetunnel, which is a VPN to enable applications to communicate with one another without escaping their encapsulated environments. All of this makes Firejail a great solution for those times you need to run untrusted software on a machine you don't want sullied with binaries of unknown origin.
Project Website
https://firejail.wordpress.com/
File server
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
-
So Long Neofetch and Thanks for the Info
Today is a day that every Linux user who enjoys bragging about their system(s) will mourn, as Neofetch has come to an end.
-
Ubuntu 24.04 Comes with a “Flaw"
If you're thinking you might want to upgrade from your current Ubuntu release to the latest, there's something you might want to consider before doing so.
-
Canonical Releases Ubuntu 24.04
After a brief pause because of the XZ vulnerability, Ubuntu 24.04 is now available for install.
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.