SELinux stands for Security Enhanced Linux, which is an access control system that is built into the Linux kernel. It is used to enforce the resource policies that define what level of access users, programs, and services have on a system.
In its default enforcing mode, SELinux will deny and log any unauthorized attempts to access any resource. This approach, usually referred to as the principle of least privilege, means that explicit permission must be given to a user or program to access files, directories, sockets, and other services.
To learn more about how to use SELinux please read our article, “An Introduction to SELinux on CentOS 7.”
For a more in-depth description of how to define and use SELinux policies, visit the CentOS Wiki page on SELinux.
Thanks for learning with the DigitalOcean Community. Check out our offerings for compute, storage, networking, and managed databases.
author
This textbox defaults to using Markdown to format your answer.
You can type !ref in this text area to quickly search our full set of tutorials, documentation & marketplace offerings and insert the link!
Become a contributor for community
Get paid to write technical tutorials and select a tech-focused charity to receive a matching donation.
DigitalOcean Documentation
Full documentation for every DigitalOcean product.
Resources for startups and SMBs
The Wave has everything you need to know about building a business, from raising funding to marketing your product.
The developer cloud
Scale up as you grow — whether you're running one virtual machine or ten thousand.
Get started for free
Sign up and get $200 in credit for your first 60 days with DigitalOcean.*
*This promotional offer applies to new accounts only.