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documentation.suse.com / SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Documentation / Security and Hardening Guide / Confining privileges with AppArmor / Building and managing profiles with YaST
Applies to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6

36 Building and managing profiles with YaST

YaST provides a basic way to build profiles and manage AppArmor® profiles. It provides two interfaces: a graphical one and a text-based one. The text-based interface consumes less resources and bandwidth, making it a better choice for remote administration, or for times when a local graphical environment is inconvenient. Although the interfaces have differing appearances, they offer the same functionality in similar ways. Another alternative is to use AppArmor commands, which can control AppArmor from a terminal window or through remote connections. The command line tools are described in Chapter 37, Building profiles from the command line.

Start YaST from the main menu and enter your root password when prompted for it. Alternatively, start YaST by opening a terminal window, logging in as root, and entering yast2 for the graphical mode or yast for the text-based mode.

In the Security and Users section, there is an AppArmor Configuration icon. Click it to launch the AppArmor YaST module.

36.1 Manually adding a profile

AppArmor enables you to create an AppArmor profile by manually adding entries into the profile. Select the application for which to create a profile, then add entries.

  1. Start YaST, select AppArmor Configuration, and click Manually Add Profile in the main window.

  2. Browse your system to find the application for which to create a profile.

  3. When you find the application, select it and click Open. A basic, empty profile appears in the AppArmor Profile Dialog window.

  4. In AppArmor Profile Dialog, add, edit, or delete AppArmor profile entries by clicking the corresponding buttons and referring to Section 36.2.1, “Adding an entry”, Section 36.2.2, “Editing an entry”, or Section 36.2.3, “Deleting an entry”.

  5. When finished, click Done.

36.2 Editing profiles

Tip
Tip

YaST offers basic manipulation for AppArmor profiles, such as creating or editing. However, the most straightforward way to edit an AppArmor profile is to use a text editor such as vi:

> sudo vi /etc/apparmor.d/usr.sbin.httpd2-prefork
Tip
Tip

The vi editor also includes syntax (error) highlighting and syntax error highlighting, which visually warns you when the syntax of the edited AppArmor profile is wrong.

AppArmor enables you to edit AppArmor profiles manually by adding, editing or deleting entries. To edit a profile, proceed as follows:

  1. Start YaST, select AppArmor Configuration, and click Manage Existing Profiles in the main window.

    Choose the profile to edit
  2. From the list of profiled applications, select the profile to edit.

  3. Click Edit. The AppArmor Profile Dialog window displays the profile.

    AppArmor profile dialog
  4. In the AppArmor Profile Dialog window, add, edit, or delete AppArmor profile entries by clicking the corresponding buttons and referring to Section 36.2.1, “Adding an entry”, Section 36.2.2, “Editing an entry”, or Section 36.2.3, “Deleting an entry”.

  5. When you are finished, click Done.

  6. In the pop-up that appears, click Yes to confirm your changes to the profile and reload the AppArmor profile set.

Tip
Tip: Syntax checking in AppArmor

AppArmor contains a syntax check that notifies you of any syntax errors in profiles you are trying to process with the YaST AppArmor tools. If an error occurs, edit the profile manually as root and reload the profile set with systemctl reload apparmor.

36.2.1 Adding an entry

The Add Entry button in the AppArmor Profile Window lists types of entries you can add to the AppArmor profile.

From the list, select one of the following:

File

In the pop-up window, specify the absolute path of a file, including the type of access permitted. When finished, click OK.

You can use globbing if necessary. For globbing information, refer to Section 34.6, “Profile names, flags, paths, and globbing”. For file access permission information, refer to Section 34.7, “File permission access modes”.

Select a file to add
Directory

In the pop-up window, specify the absolute path of a directory, including the type of access permitted. You can use globbing if necessary. When finished, click OK.

For globbing information, refer to Section 34.6, “Profile names, flags, paths, and globbing”. For file access permission information, refer to Section 34.7, “File permission access modes”.

Select a directory to add
Network rule

In the pop-up window, select the appropriate network family and the socket type. For more information, refer to Section 34.5, “Network access control”.

Select capabilities
Capability

In the pop-up window, select the appropriate capabilities. These are statements that enable each of the 32 POSIX.1e capabilities. Refer to Section 34.4, “Capability entries (POSIX.1e)” for more information about capabilities. When finished making your selections, click OK.

Select capabilities
Include file

In the pop-up window, browse to the files to use as includes. Includes are directives that pull in components of other AppArmor profiles to simplify profiles. For more information, refer to Section 34.3, “Include statements”.

Hat

In the pop-up window, specify the name of the subprofile (hat) to add to your current profile and click Create Hat. For more information, refer to Chapter 38, Profiling your Web applications using ChangeHat.

enter subprofile name in popup window

36.2.2 Editing an entry

When you select Edit Entry, a pop-up window opens. From here, edit the selected entry.

In the pop-up window, edit the entry you need to modify. You can use globbing if necessary. When finished, click OK.

For globbing information, refer to Section 34.6, “Profile names, flags, paths, and globbing”. For access permission information, refer to Section 34.7, “File permission access modes”.

36.2.3 Deleting an entry

To delete an entry in a given profile, select Delete Entry. AppArmor removes the selected profile entry.

36.3 Deleting a profile

AppArmor enables you to delete an AppArmor profile manually. Simply select the application for which to delete a profile then delete it as follows:

  1. Start YaST, select AppArmor Configuration, and click Manage Existing Profiles in the main window.

  2. Select the profile to delete.

  3. Click Delete.

  4. In the pop-up that opens, click Yes to delete the profile and reload the AppArmor profile set.

36.4 Managing AppArmor

You can change the status of AppArmor by enabling or disabling it. Enabling AppArmor protects your system from potential program exploitation. Disabling AppArmor, even if your profiles have been set up, removes protection from your system. To change the status of AppArmor, start YaST, select AppArmor Configuration, and click Settings in the main window.

The AppArmor control panel

To change the status of AppArmor, continue as described in Section 36.4.1, “Changing AppArmor status”. To change the mode of individual profiles, continue as described in Section 36.4.2, “Changing the mode of individual profiles”.

36.4.1 Changing AppArmor status

When you change the status of AppArmor, set it to enabled or disabled. When AppArmor is enabled, it is installed, running and enforcing the AppArmor security policies.

  1. Start YaST, select AppArmor Configuration, and click Settings in the main window.

  2. Enable AppArmor by checking Enable AppArmor or disable AppArmor by deselecting it.

  3. Click Done in the AppArmor Configuration window.

Tip
Tip

You always need to restart running programs to apply the profiles to them.

36.4.2 Changing the mode of individual profiles

AppArmor can apply profiles in two different modes. In complain mode, violations of AppArmor profile rules, such as the profiled program accessing files not permitted by the profile, are detected. The violations are permitted, but also logged. This mode is convenient for developing profiles and is used by the AppArmor tools for generating profiles. Loading a profile in enforce mode enforces the policy defined in the profile, and reports policy violation attempts to rsyslogd (or auditd or journalctl, depending on system configuration).

The Profile Mode Configuration dialog allows you to view and edit the mode of currently loaded AppArmor profiles. This feature is useful for determining the status of your system during profile development. During systemic profiling (see Section 37.7.2, “Systemic profiling”), you can use this tool to adjust and monitor the scope of the profiles for which you are learning behavior.

To edit an application's profile mode, proceed as follows:

  1. Start YaST, select AppArmor Configuration, and click Settings in the main window.

  2. In the Configure Profile Modes section, select Configure.

  3. Select the profile for which to change the mode.

  4. Select Toggle Mode to set this profile to complain mode or to enforce mode.

  5. Apply your settings and leave YaST with Done.

To change the mode of all profiles, use Set All to Enforce or Set All to Complain.

Tip
Tip: Listing the profiles available

By default, only active profiles are listed (any profile that has a matching application installed on your system). To set up a profile before installing the respective application, click Show All Profiles and select the profile to configure from the list that appears.