security_read_state_kernel(9)

💅 security_read_state_kernel(9)

okay so this is a page from the Kernel API Manual — yes, the security_read_state_kernel one, we're doing this, grab a snack 🍓

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✨ NAME ✨

security_read_state_kernel — bestie, it reads the policy. that's the whole vibe. 📖

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🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

int security_read_state_kernel (void **data , size_t *len );

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🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• data — the binary policy data itself, dropped in here 🫶
• len — how long that data is, in bytes. numbers only, no vibes.

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

So what it does is: it allocates kernel memory for reading SELinux policy. iconic behavior, honestly.

But listen — this one is for internal use only. it is not the function you use to hand data back to user space. do not do that. i'm serious. 🙈

⚠️ also, and this is the important part: this function must be called with policy_mutex held. like, not optional, not "eh it'll probably be fine". hold the mutex. periodt. 💅

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🌸 SEE ALSO 🌸

the kernel file lives at ./security/selinux/ss/services.c and here's the whole friend group, all of them, no cap:

• security_compute_av(9)
• security_sid_to_context(9)
• security_sid_to_context_inval(9)
• security_context_to_sid(9)
• security_context_to_sid_default(9)
• security_transition_sid(9)
• security_member_sid(9)
• security_change_sid(9)
• services_convert_context(9)
• security_load_policy(9)
• ocontext_to_sid(9)
• security_port_sid(9)
• security_ib_pkey_sid(9)
• security_ib_endport_sid(9)
• security_netif_sid(9)
• security_node_sid(9)
• __security_genfs_sid(9)
• security_genfs_sid(9)
• security_fs_use(9)
• security_net_peersid_resolve(9)
• security_policycap_supported(9)
• security_netlbl_cache_add(9)
• security_netlbl_secattr_to_sid(9)
• security_netlbl_sid_to_secattr(9)
• __security_read_policy(9)
• security_read_policy(9)

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👑 sign-off 👑

this lil masterpiece comes from ./security/selinux/ss, dated October 2026, and it's filed under security_read_state_kernel(9). slay, go hold that mutex 💜✨