CHCAT(8)

💖 NAME 💖

chcat — bestie, this is the one that changes SELinux security categories of files and users ✨

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

chcat category file...
chcat -l category user...
chcat [[+|-]category...]  file...
chcat -l [[+|-]category...]  user...
chcat [-d] file...
chcat -l [-d] user...
chcat -L [ -l ] [ user ... ]

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so here's the vibe 💅 you use + and - to add or remove categories from a file or a user — and heads up, only a single category can be specified at a time when you're doing that. OR, plot twist, you just hand over the whole list/range of categories you want applied, and it replaces whatever categories were already there. main character energy, honestly. ✨

🚨 real talk, bestie, this one matters: when you're removing a category you must put '--' on the command line before you use the -Category syntax. That -- is basically telling the command "okay i'm done with options, everything after this is a category name, not a flag." it's giving ✋ stop sign, no cap.

• -d — delete all categories from the given FILE/USER. every last one. bye 👋
• -L — list the available categories. window shopping fr fr 🛍️
• -l — tells chcat to operate on users instead of files. lowercase L, tiny but mighty 💅

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🎀 EXAMPLE 🎀

Replace categories of user "test" with c0.c6

# chcat -l c0.c6 test

Add category c1023 to user "test"

# chcat -l +c1023 test

Remove category c5 from file "file"

# chcat -- -c5 file

Remove all categories from file "file"

# chcat -d file

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

• chcon(1)
• selinux(8)
• semanage(8)

Also, fun fact: when it's operating on files, this script is just wrapping the chcon command 🫶 like a cute lil jacket over a classic.

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🍓 FILES 🍓

• /etc/selinux/{SELINUXTYPE}/setrans.conf
• /etc/selinux/{SELINUXTYPE}/seusers

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and that's the whole page, bestie!! 💜 this one's the chcat manual page, from the User Commands section of the manual (section 8, for the system admin girlies), and it's dated September 2005 — yeah she's vintage, she's an icon, she ate and left no crumbs 🎀✨ slay, go change some categories, mwah 💖