vmtools_selinux(8)

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

✨ NAME ✨

okay so bestie, this is vmtools_selinux(8) — the Security Enhanced Linux Policy for the vmtools processes 💖 it's literally the manual page for how SELinux handles the vmtools crew.

🛡️ DESCRIPTION 🛡️

Security-Enhanced Linux secures the vmtools processes via flexible mandatory access control. slay 💅

The vmtools processes execute with the vmtools_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 vmtools_t

🚪 ENTRYPOINTS 🚪

The vmtools_t SELinux type can be entered via the vmtools_exec_t file type. iconic behavior honestly ✨

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

  • /usr/bin/vmtoolsd
  • /usr/bin/VGAuthService

🧬 PROCESS TYPES 🧬

SELinux defines process types (domains) for each process running on the system. periodt.

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

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

The following process types are defined for vmtools:

  • vmtools_t
  • vmtools_helper_t
  • vmtools_unconfined_t
Note: semanage permissive -a vmtools_t can be used to make the process type vmtools_t permissive. SELinux does not deny access to permissive process types, but the AVC (SELinux denials) messages are still generated. 👀

🎚️ BOOLEANS 🎚️

SELinux policy is customizable based on least access required. vmtools policy is extremely flexible and has several booleans that allow you to manipulate the policy and run vmtools with the tightest access possible. lowkey obsessed with how configurable this is 💜

  • daemons_dontaudit_scheduling — if you want to dontaudit all daemons scheduling requests (setsched, sys_nice), you must turn on this boolean. Enabled by default.
setsebool -P daemons_dontaudit_scheduling 1
  • deny_execmem — if you want to deny user domains applications to map a memory region as both executable and writable, this is dangerous and the executable should be reported in bugzilla, you must turn on this boolean. Disabled by default.
setsebool -P deny_execmem 1
  • mmap_low_allowed — if you want to control the ability to mmap a low area of the address space, as configured by /proc/sys/vm/mmap_min_addr, you must turn on this boolean. Disabled by default.
setsebool -P mmap_low_allowed 1
  • nis_enabled — if you want to allow system to run with NIS, you must turn on this boolean. Disabled by default.
setsebool -P nis_enabled 1
  • secure_mode_insmod — if you want to disable kernel module loading, you must turn on this boolean. Disabled by default.
setsebool -P secure_mode_insmod 1
  • selinuxuser_execheap — if you want to allow unconfined executables to make their heap memory executable. Doing this is a really bad idea. Probably indicates a badly coded executable, but could indicate an attack. This executable should be reported in bugzilla, you must turn on this boolean. Disabled by default. 🚨
setsebool -P selinuxuser_execheap 1
  • selinuxuser_execstack — if you want to allow unconfined executables to make their stack executable. This should never, ever be necessary. Probably indicates a badly coded executable, but could indicate an attack. This executable should be reported in bugzilla, you must turn on this boolean. Disabled by default. 😭
setsebool -P selinuxuser_execstack 1

📁 MANAGED FILES 📁

The SELinux process type vmtools_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.

  • file_type — all files on the system

🏷️ 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 vmtools policy is very flexible allowing users to setup their vmtools processes in as secure a method as possible. bestie the flexibility is giving main character energy 🌈

📌 STANDARD FILE CONTEXT 📌

SELinux defines the file context types for the vmtools, 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 vmtools_exec_t '/srv/vmtools/content(/.*)?'
restorecon -R -v /srv/myvmtools_content
Note: SELinux often uses regular expressions to specify labels that match multiple files. iykyk ✨

The following file types are defined for vmtools:

vmtools_exec_t

  • Set files with the vmtools_exec_t type, if you want to transition an executable to the vmtools_t domain.

Paths:

  • /usr/bin/vmtoolsd
  • /usr/bin/VGAuthService

vmtools_helper_exec_t

  • Set files with the vmtools_helper_exec_t type, if you want to transition an executable to the vmtools_helper_t domain.

vmtools_tmp_t

  • Set files with the vmtools_tmp_t type, if you want to store vmtools temporary files in the /tmp directories.

vmtools_unconfined_exec_t

  • Set files with the vmtools_unconfined_exec_t type, if you want to transition an executable to the vmtools_unconfined_t domain.

vmtools_unit_file_t

  • Set files with the vmtools_unit_file_t type, if you want to treat the files as vmtools unit content.
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. 💅

🛠️ 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. cute little GUI moment 🎀

✍️ AUTHOR ✍️

This manual page was auto-generated using sepolicy manpage .

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

okay that's the whole page bestie — it came from vmtools, and the footer date/version situation is 26-10-06. go forth and SELinux slay 💅✨🦋

📦 where this page comes from