Shutting out intruders with AppArmor
PROTECTIVE ARMOR
When an attacker succeeds in infecting a victim’s system, the attacker inherits the victim’s privileges. App Armor beats the attack by reducing the potential victim’s privileges to a minimum.
Novell views AppArmor [1] as an easily configurable but effective protection system for Linux. According to the vendor, AppArmor competes with SE Linux, which has been part of the Suse distribution for quite a while now, although lacking the policies needed to run it. Whereas SE Linux is comparatively difficult to configure, but implements comprehensive MACs (Mandatory Access Control), AppArmor focuses on restricting the scope of individual applications. The Task It is an unfortunate fact that many programs suffer from bugs, and web applications are particularly badly hit. Most software is not coded by security specialists, though it may be publicly accessible via the web, and this makes it an easy target for attackers. If an attacker finds a programming error in an application, they can typically exploit the error, thus gaining access to the target system.
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
News
-
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Available
An OS redesigned for the hybrid cloud era.
-
Google Brings Linux to Chromebook
All new Chromebooks will be capable of running Linux.
-
Fedora Project Announces Fedora 30
The latest version comes with new tools and a new alignment of the various Fedora editions.
-
The Apache Software Foundation Completes Migration To GitHub
The foundation has decommissioned its own Git service.
-
Canonical Combines its Services in a Single Package
Now customers can gain access to all of its services under Ubuntu Advantage offering.
-
Black Hole Image Has an Open Source Connection
Two imaging libraries responsible for the image are fully open source.
-
Linux Mint Founder Calls for Better Developer Support
Usually cheerful Clement ‘Clem’ Lefebvre says he "hasn't enjoyed" this development cycle.
-
Software Freedom Conservancy Announces End to VMware Lawsuit
VMware agrees to remove the offending code in a future release.
-
Chef Goes All Open Source
The company behind the popular DevOps automation tool is releasing those proprietary add-ons built around the open source core.
-
SUSE Spins off from Parent Company
While IBM has acquired Red Hat, SUSE goes solo.