mandb_selinux(8)

📦
version 20250627+git412.dbf877ab7 · 7 versions
, in opensuse-leap 16.0

💖 NAME 💖

mandb_selinux — Security Enhanced Linux Policy for the mandb processes. That's the name, that's the vibe, and honestly? It ate 💅

Okay so this is the mandb_selinux(8) manual page, and we're about to get into the SELinux policy that governs the mandb processes — buckle up bestie, it's giving security queen energy 👑

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

Security-Enhanced Linux secures the mandb processes via flexible mandatory access control — no cap, that's literally the whole point. It's like the bouncer at the club but make it policy-based 🎀

The mandb processes execute with the mandb_t SELinux type. You can check if you have these processes running by executing the ps command with the -Z qualifier. For example:

ps -eZ | grep mandb_t

That's it — ps -eZ shows you the SELinux context, and then you grep for mandb_t like a detective 🔍

🚪 ENTRYPOINTS 🚪

The mandb_t SELinux type can be entered via the mandb_exec_t file type.

The default entrypoint paths for the mandb_t domain are the following:

  • /etc/cron.(daily|weekly)/man-db.*
  • /usr/bin/mandb

So if you see those paths, just know they're the VIP entrance to the mandb_t domain ✨

🎭 PROCESS TYPES 🎭

SELinux defines process types (domains) for each process running on the system — lowkey it's giving "everybody gets a label" energy 🏷️

You can see the context of a process using the -Z option to ps.

Policy governs the access confined processes have to files. SELinux mandb policy is very flexible allowing users to setup their mandb processes in as secure a method as possible. No cap, it's all about that least-privilege lifestyle 💅

The following process types are defined for mandb:

  • mandb_t
Note: semanage permissive -a mandb_t can be used to make the process type mandb_t permissive. SELinux does not deny access to permissive process types, but the AVC (SELinux denials) messages are still generated. So like, it won't block anything, but it's still gonna log the drama — don't think permissive means invisible, bestie 👀

🎚️ BOOLEANS 🎚️

SELinux policy is customizable based on least access required — highkey the "give them only what they need" anthem 🎶 mandb policy is extremely flexible and has several booleans that allow you to manipulate the policy and run mandb with the tightest access possible.

If you want to dontaudit all daemons scheduling requests (setsched, sys_nice), you must turn on the daemons_dontaudit_scheduling boolean. Enabled by default.

setsebool -P daemons_dontaudit_scheduling 1

If you want to allow all domains to execute in fips_mode, you must turn on the fips_mode boolean. Enabled by default.

setsebool -P fips_mode 1

Two booleans, both enabled by default, both slaying in their own way 💖

📁 MANAGED FILES 📁

The SELinux process type mandb_t can manage files labeled with the following file types. The paths listed are the default paths for these file types. Note the processes UID still need to have DAC permissions — SELinux isn't out here overriding your regular Unix permissions, bestie, it's just adding another layer 🧅

  • cluster_conf_t — path: /etc/cluster(/.*)?
  • cluster_var_lib_t — paths:
    • /var/lib/pcsd(/.*)?
    • /var/lib/cluster(/.*)?
    • /var/lib/openais(/.*)?
    • /var/lib/pengine(/.*)?
    • /var/lib/corosync(/.*)?
    • /usr/lib/heartbeat(/.*)?
    • /var/lib/heartbeat(/.*)?
    • /var/lib/pacemaker(/.*)?
  • cluster_var_run_t — paths:
    • /run/crm(/.*)?
    • /run/cman_.*
    • /run/rsctmp(/.*)?
    • /run/aisexec.*
    • /run/heartbeat(/.*)?
    • /run/pcsd-ruby.socket
    • /run/corosync-qnetd(/.*)?
    • /run/corosync-qdevice(/.*)?
    • /run/pcsd.socket
    • /run/corosync.pid
    • /run/cpglockd.pid
    • /run/rgmanager.pid
    • /run/cluster/rgmanager.sk
  • mandb_lock_t — path: /run/lock/man-db.lock
  • root_t — paths:
    • /sysroot/.aleph-version.json
    • /sysroot/ostree/deploy/.*-atomic/deploy(/.*)?
    • /
    • /initrd
    • /var/lib/ntp

That's a whole lotta file types, but mandb_t manages them all and honestly? versatile king 👑

🏷️ FILE CONTEXTS 🏷️

SELinux requires files to have an extended attribute to define the file type — it's not just vibes, it's literally metadata ✨

You can see the context of a file using the -Z option to ls.

Policy governs the access confined processes have to these files. SELinux mandb policy is very flexible allowing users to setup their mandb processes in as secure a method as possible.

🌸 STANDARD FILE CONTEXT 🌸

SELinux defines the file context types for the mandb. If you wanted to store files with these types in different paths, you need to execute the semanage command to specify alternate labeling and then use restorecon to put the labels on disk.

semanage fcontext -a -t mandb_exec_t '/srv/mandb/content(/.*)?'
restorecon -R -v /srv/mymandb_content

Note: SELinux often uses regular expressions to specify labels that match multiple files — so those (/.*)? patterns are doing the lord's work 🫡

The following file types are defined for mandb:

  • mandb_cache_t — Set files with the mandb_cache_t type, if you want to store the files under the /var/cache directory. Paths: /var/cache/man(/.*)?, /opt/local/share/man(/.*)?
  • mandb_exec_t — Set files with the mandb_exec_t type, if you want to transition an executable to the mandb_t domain. Paths: /etc/cron.(daily|weekly)/man-db.*, /usr/bin/mandb
  • mandb_home_t — Set files with the mandb_home_t type, if you want to store mandb files in the users home directory. Paths: /root/.manpath, /home/[^/]+/.manpath
  • mandb_lock_t — Set files with the mandb_lock_t type, if you want to treat the files as mandb lock data, stored under the /var/lock directory.
Note: File context can be temporarily modified with the chcon command. If you want to permanently change the file context you need to use the semanage fcontext command. This will modify the SELinux labeling database. You will need to use restorecon to apply the labels. So like, chcon is cute for a quick fix, but semanage fcontext + restorecon is the permanent slay 💅

🛠️ COMMANDS 🛠️

  • semanage fcontext can also be used to manipulate default file context mappings.
  • semanage permissive can also be used to manipulate whether or not a process type is permissive.
  • semanage module can also be used to enable/disable/install/remove policy modules.
  • semanage boolean can also be used to manipulate the booleans.
  • system-config-selinux is a GUI tool available to customize SELinux policy settings.

Basically semanage does it all and system-config-selinux is there if you're feeling GUI girly 🖱️✨

✍️ AUTHOR ✍️

This manual page was auto-generated using sepolicy manpage — shoutout to the auto-generator, no cap, it ate 🤖💖

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

Okay bestie, that's the whole page! This one's from mandb, dated 26-10-06, and it's literally mandb_selinux(8) — now go forth, check those file contexts, and stay secure 💖✨👑

📦 where this page comes from