pppd_selinux(8)

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

💅 pppd_selinux — the SELinux policy for pppd, explained by your favorite nerd

okay so bestie, welcome to pppd_selinux(8) — this is the SELinux Policy page for pppd, and I'm gonna walk you through it like we're texting at 2am, because honestly that's the energy this deserves 💖

✨ NAME ✨

pppd_selinux — Security Enhanced Linux Policy for the pppd processes. that's it, that's the whole vibe 🎀

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

Security-Enhanced Linux secures the pppd processes via flexible mandatory access control. like, SELinux is the bouncer at the club and pppd is the guest — everyone gets checked, no exceptions, no cap 🔥

the pppd processes execute with the pppd_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 pppd_t

go check it, i'll wait 💅

🦋 ENTRYPOINTS 🦋

the pppd_t SELinux type can be entered via the pppd_exec_t file type. that's the doorway, the portal, the ✨ entrance ✨

the default entrypoint paths for the pppd_t domain are the following:

/usr/bin/pppd, /usr/bin/ipppd, /usr/bin/ppp-watch, /usr/bin/pppoe-server

those four. memorized. iconic 👑

💜 PROCESS TYPES 💜

SELinux defines process types (domains) for each process running on the system. you can see the context of a process using the -Z option to ps.

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

the following process types are defined for pppd:

  • pppd_t
Note: semanage permissive -a pppd_t can be used to make the process type pppd_t permissive. SELinux does not deny access to permissive process types, but the AVC (SELinux denials) messages are still generated. so like, it stops being a hater but it still writes in its diary about you 😭

🍓 BOOLEANS 🍓

SELinux policy is customizable based on least access required. pppd policy is extremely flexible and has several booleans that allow you to manipulate the policy and run pppd with the tightest access possible. love that for us 🫶

if you want to allow pppd to load kernel modules for certain modems, you must turn on the pppd_can_insmod boolean. disabled by default.

setsebool -P pppd_can_insmod 1

if you want to allow pppd to be run for a regular user, you must turn on the pppd_for_user boolean. disabled by default.

setsebool -P pppd_for_user 1

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

if you want to allow system to run with NIS, you must turn on the nis_enabled boolean. disabled by default.

setsebool -P nis_enabled 1

that's five booleans, all accounted for, nothing skipped, we stay thorough 💅

🧚 MANAGED FILES 🧚

the SELinux process type pppd_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 is not out here overriding DAC, she's just adding her own layer, periodt.

  • cluster_conf_t
/etc/cluster(/.*)?
  • cluster_var_lib_t
/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
/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
  • faillog_t
/var/log/btmp.*
/run/faillock(/.*)?
/var/log/faillog.*
/var/log/tallylog.*
  • krb5_host_rcache_t
/var/tmp/krb5_0.rcache2
/var/cache/krb5rcache(/.*)?
/var/tmp/nfs_0
/var/tmp/DNS_25
/var/tmp/host_0
/var/tmp/imap_0
/var/tmp/HTTP_23
/var/tmp/HTTP_48
/var/tmp/ldap_55
/var/tmp/ldap_487
/var/tmp/ldapmap1_0
  • pppd_etc_rw_t
/etc/ppp(/.*)?
/etc/ppp/peers(/.*)?
/etc/ppp/resolv.conf
  • pppd_lock_t
/run/lock/ppp(/.*)?
  • pppd_log_t
/var/log/ppp(/.*)?
/var/log/ppp-connect-errors.*
  • pppd_tmp_t — no default paths listed here, that's just how it is, don't @ me 🙈
  • pppd_var_run_t
/run/(i)?ppp.*pid[^/]*
/run/ppp(/.*)?
/run/pppd[0-9]*.tdb
  • root_t
/sysroot/.aleph-version.json
/sysroot/ostree/deploy/.*-atomic/deploy(/.*)?
/
/initrd
/var/lib/ntp
  • wtmp_t
/var/log/wtmp.*
  • wtmpdb_journal_t
/var/lib/wtmpdb/wtmp.db-journal
  • wtmpdb_t
/var/lib/wtmpdb(/.*)?

🌈 FILE CONTEXTS 🌈

SELinux requires files to have an extended attribute to define the file type. 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 pppd policy is very flexible, allowing users to setup their pppd processes in as secure a method as possible.

🌟 EQUIVALENCE DIRECTORIES 🌟

pppd policy stores data with multiple different file context types under the /var/log/ppp directory. if you would like to store the data in a different directory you can use the semanage command to create an equivalence mapping. if you wanted to store this data under the /srv directory you would execute the following command:

semanage fcontext -a -e /var/log/ppp /srv/ppp
restorecon -R -v /srv/ppp

two lines, that's it, slay ✨

💫 STANDARD FILE CONTEXT 💫

SELinux defines the file context types for the pppd. if you wanted to store files with these types in a 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 pppd_exec_t '/srv/pppd/content(/.*)?'
restorecon -R -v /srv/mypppd_content
Note: SELinux often uses regular expressions to specify labels that match multiple files. regex girlies rise 🎀

the following file types are defined for pppd:

pppd_etc_rw_t

  • set files with the pppd_etc_rw_t type, if you want to treat the files as pppd etc read/write content.

Paths:

/etc/ppp(/.*)?, /etc/ppp/peers(/.*)?, /etc/ppp/resolv.conf

pppd_etc_t

  • set files with the pppd_etc_t type, if you want to store pppd files in the /etc directories.

Paths:

/root/.ppprc, /etc/ppp

pppd_exec_t

  • set files with the pppd_exec_t type, if you want to transition an executable to the pppd_t domain.

Paths:

/usr/bin/pppd, /usr/bin/ipppd, /usr/bin/ppp-watch, /usr/bin/pppoe-server

pppd_initrc_exec_t

  • set files with the pppd_initrc_exec_t type, if you want to transition an executable to the pppd_initrc_t domain.

Paths:

/etc/ppp/(auth|ip(v6|x)?)-(up|down),
/usr/libexec/ppp/(auth|ip(v6|x)?)-(up|down), /etc/rc.d/init.d/ppp

pppd_lock_t

  • set files with the pppd_lock_t type, if you want to treat the files as pppd lock data, stored under the /var/lock directory.

pppd_log_t

  • set files with the pppd_log_t type, if you want to treat the data as pppd log data, usually stored under the /var/log directory.

Paths:

/var/log/ppp(/.*)?, /var/log/ppp-connect-errors.*

pppd_secret_t

  • set files with the pppd_secret_t type, if you want to treat the files as pppd secret data. 🤫

pppd_tmp_t

  • set files with the pppd_tmp_t type, if you want to store pppd temporary files in the /tmp directories.

pppd_unit_file_t

  • set files with the pppd_unit_file_t type, if you want to treat the files as pppd unit content.

pppd_var_run_t

  • set files with the pppd_var_run_t type, if you want to store the pppd files under the /run or /var/run directory.

Paths:

/run/(i)?ppp.*pid[^/]*, /run/ppp(/.*)?, /run/pppd[0-9]*.tdb
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. temporary vs permanent, know the difference bestie 💀

👑 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. yes, a GUI, for when the terminal is doing too much 🫶

🌸 AUTHOR 🌸

this manual page was auto-generated using sepolicy manpage. not me being auto-generated and still having more personality than half the manpages out there 😭💅

⭐ SEE ALSO ⭐

selinux(8), pppd(8), semanage(8), restorecon(8), chcon(1), sepolicy(8), setsebool(8)

that's the whole page, nothing left out, everything where it belongs 🎀 and before you go — this beauty came from pppd, dated 26-10-06, and the page itself is pppd_selinux(8). go forth and label things correctly, bestie 💖✨

📦 where this page comes from