Sandboxing with Firejail
Secure Play
Firejail makes sandboxing as easy as typing eight letters in front of a command.
Sandboxing [1], or isolating processes and applications in their own environment, is a long-established practice in Linux. Unfortunately, although it is efficient, it can be difficult to configure and use. Even containers and virtual machines have not improved the process much, because they are only as secure as their configuration. What makes Firejail [2] so different is that it makes sandboxing easy and can do far more if you are willing to learn how to configure it. This simplicity has made Firejail the center of attention in less than a year.
Firejail is a structural security solution; it is configured to prevent intrusions rather than react to them the way an antivirus program does. Instead of adding daemons and other applications, it works by creating a restricted environment with its own set of solutions, running within user space and using features that are already a part of the Linux kernel, such as seccomp-bpf [3]. The result is sandboxing that requires far fewer system resources than traditional solutions, such as creating a chroot jail [4], and is easy to customize.
In fact, Firejail installs with 64 security profiles for popular applications, ranging from Firefox and KMail to XChat and Wine, as well as a generic profile used automatically for applications and processes that lack a custom profile (Figure 1). All profiles use a basic syntax with one item per line that can easily be learned by studying the profiles that are installed along with the command (Figure 2).
[...]
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
Digital Autonomy
• The Answer Was Already on the Shelf
• Changing the Chip Industry: How Public Investment Has Grown Open Silicon
• United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
• EU Open Source Strategy Plays Key Role in Tech Sovereignty Package
• France Says “Au Revoir” to Microsoft
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
-
2,000 Vulnerabilities per Linux Release
Thanks to AI bug hunters, the Linux kernel is seeing record numbers of vulnerabilities, and it's overwhelming developers.
-
Linux Exempt from California’s Age Verification Law
So long as Linux is distributed under the GPL, MIT, BSD, and Apache licenses, the OS is exempt from being required to verify the age of its users in California.
-
Roll Out the Cake: Linux Turns 35
35 years ago, a Finnish student began a humble project that would forever change the course of technology.
-
China Switching from Windows to Linux
China has ordered several government agencies to drop a Chinese-developed version of Windows 10 in favor of either KylinOS or UOS.
-
Pine64 Halts Production of Linux Devices
With continued DRAM and eMMC shortages, Pine64 has decided to discontinue production of Linux devices.
-
The Bullet-Proof KDE Software Initiative Is Coming
KDE, Techpaladin, and Kubuntu Focus have announced a new initiative that will provide at least three years of support for KDE Plasma 6.6 LTS and related software.
-
Linux Mint Shares a Possible Kernel Cleanup Solution
For those on Linux Mint who like to keep multiple kernels around but don't want them to take up too much space, you might be getting a new automated tool.
-
CachyOS Gets an Update
CachyOS August 2026 release is now available with the latest version of KDE, some new features, and plenty of improvements.
-
The Linux Kernel Dev Staging Area Now Rejects AI-Generated Patches
Unless a kernel patch is a valid security fix, it will be rejected if it was created using AI.
-
Linux Surpasses Double-Digit Market Share
According to two sources, the Linux operating system has hit a major milestone in market share that naysayers thought would never happen.