vmware_host_selinux(8)

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

💖 vmware_host_selinux(8) — the glow-up version 💖

okay so bestie, this is the manual page for vmware_host_selinux, part of the SELinux Policy vmware_host family — and yes, section (8) means it's a sysadmin/admins-only kind of page, main character energy fr fr. Let's get into it ✨

🌸 NAME 🌸

vmware_host_selinux — the Security Enhanced Linux Policy for the vmware_host processes. That's it, that's the whole vibe.

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

Security-Enhanced Linux secures the vmware_host processes via flexible mandatory access control. Like, flexible but also mandatory — she contains multitudes 💅

The vmware_host processes execute with the vmware_host_t SELinux type. Wanna check if you've got these processes running? Run the ps command with the -Z qualifier, easy peasy.

For example:

ps -eZ | grep vmware_host_t

That's literally it. Go off 🎀

🦋 ENTRYPOINTS 🦋

The vmware_host_t SELinux type can be entered via the vmware_host_exec_t file type. (Think of it as the VIP door into the domain, iykyk 🚪✨)

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

/opt/vmware/(workstation|player)/bin/vmnet-natd,
/opt/vmware/(workstation|player)/bin/vmnet-dhcpd,
/opt/vmware/(workstation|player)/bin/vmware-nmbd,
/opt/vmware/(workstation|player)/bin/vmware-smbd,
/opt/vmware/(workstation|player)/bin/vmnet-bridge,
/opt/vmware/(workstation|player)/bin/vmnet-netifup,
/opt/vmware/(workstation|player)/bin/vmnet-sniffer,
/opt/vmware/(workstation|player)/bin/vmware-smbpasswd,
/opt/vmware/(workstation|player)/bin/vmware-smbpasswd.bin,
/usr/bin/vmware-guest.*, /usr/lib/vmware-tools/sbin32/vmware.*,
/usr/lib/vmware-tools/sbin64/vmware.*, /usr/bin/vmnet-natd,
/usr/bin/vmware-vmx, /usr/bin/vmnet-dhcpd, /usr/bin/vmware-nmbd,
/usr/bin/vmware-smbd, /usr/bin/vmnet-bridge, /usr/bin/vmnet-netifup,
/usr/bin/vmnet-sniffer, /usr/bin/vmware-network, /usr/bin/vmware-
smbpasswd, /usr/bin/vmware-smbpasswd.bin, /usr/lib/vmware/bin/vmware-vmx

Like, that's a lot of paths, but she's thorough and we respect it 👑

👑 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 vmware_host policy is very flexible, allowing users to setup their vmware_host processes in as secure a method as possible. Very demure, very mindful 🌸

The following process types are defined for vmware_host:

vmware_host_t
Note: semanage permissive -a vmware_host_t can be used to make the process type vmware_host_t permissive. SELinux does not deny access to permissive process types, but the AVC (SELinux denials) messages are still generated. So like, she's not blocking you anymore but she IS still taking notes 📝👀

🍓 BOOLEANS 🍓

SELinux policy is customizable based on least access required. The vmware_host policy is extremely flexible and has several booleans that allow you to manipulate the policy and run vmware_host with the tightest access possible. Tightest access possible = the aesthetic 💖

  • 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
  • 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
  • selinuxuser_execheap — if you want to allow unconfined executables to make their heap memory executable, you must turn on this boolean. Disabled by default.
⚠️ bestie. 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. Like, this is the red-flag-energy boolean 🚩💀
setsebool -P selinuxuser_execheap 1

🧚 MANAGED FILES 🧚

The SELinux process type vmware_host_t can manage files labeled with the following file types. The paths listed are the default paths for these file types. Note: the process's UID still needs to have DAC permissions — SELinux isn't out here doing your DAC's homework for you, no cap.

  • file_type — literally all files on the system. She said everything 💀✨
all files on the system

🌈 FILE CONTEXTS 🌈

SELinux requires files to have an extended attribute to define the file type. Extra attribute, extra flair, we love that for them 🎀

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 vmware_host policy is very flexible, allowing users to setup their vmware_host processes in as secure a method as possible.

⭐ STANDARD FILE CONTEXT ⭐

SELinux defines the file context types for the vmware_host. 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 vmware_host_exec_t '/srv/vmware_host/content(/.*)?'
restorecon -R -v /srv/myvmware_host_content
Note: SELinux often uses regular expressions to specify labels that match multiple files. Regex girlies rise 🙌

The following file types are defined for vmware_host:

vmware_host_exec_t

  • Set files with the vmware_host_exec_t type if you want to transition an executable to the vmware_host_t domain.

Paths:

/opt/vmware/(workstation|player)/bin/vmnet-natd,
/opt/vmware/(workstation|player)/bin/vmnet-dhcpd,
/opt/vmware/(workstation|player)/bin/vmware-nmbd,
/opt/vmware/(workstation|player)/bin/vmware-smbd,
/opt/vmware/(workstation|player)/bin/vmnet-bridge,
/opt/vmware/(workstation|player)/bin/vmnet-netifup,
/opt/vmware/(workstation|player)/bin/vmnet-sniffer,
/opt/vmware/(workstation|player)/bin/vmware-smbpasswd,
/opt/vmware/(workstation|player)/bin/vmware-smbpasswd.bin,
/usr/bin/vmware-guest.*, /usr/lib/vmware-tools/sbin32/vmware.*,
/usr/lib/vmware-tools/sbin64/vmware.*, /usr/bin/vmnet-natd,
/usr/bin/vmware-vmx, /usr/bin/vmnet-dhcpd, /usr/bin/vmware-nmbd,
/usr/bin/vmware-smbd, /usr/bin/vmnet-bridge, /usr/bin/vmnet-
netifup, /usr/bin/vmnet-sniffer, /usr/bin/vmware-network,
/usr/bin/vmware-smbpasswd, /usr/bin/vmware-smbpasswd.bin,
/usr/lib/vmware/bin/vmware-vmx

vmware_host_pid_t

  • Set files with the vmware_host_pid_t type if you want to store the vmware host files under the /run directory.

Paths:

/run/vmnet.*, /run/vmnat.*, /run/vmware.*

vmware_host_tmp_t

  • Set files with the vmware_host_tmp_t type if you want to store vmware host temporary files in the /tmp directories. Temporary queen behavior 🫶
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. A whole GUI, for the visual learners ✨🖥️

💜 AUTHOR 💜

This manual page was auto-generated using sepolicy manpage . — yes, the robots wrote it, and honestly? They ate 🤖💅

🌟 SEE ALSO 🌟

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

Go read those next, bestie — that's your homework, and you're gonna slay it 📚👑

okay that's the whole page!! mwah 💋 this cutie was brought to you by vmware_host, version/date 26-10-06, living under the vmware_host_selinux(8) name. take care of her, she's iconic 🎀✨

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