:TechRepublic: Security-Enhanced Linux Provides a Locked Down OS
TechRepublic: Security-Enhanced Linux Provides a Locked Down OS Feb 17, 2004, 09 :00 UTC (4 Talkback[s]) (5419 reads) (Other stories by Michael Mullins)
"First released to the public in January 2001, Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux) is a research project from the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) that seeks to enhance the open source Linux kernel: to provide greater protection against corruption; to prevent the bypassing of application security procedures; and to mitigate the destruction caused by malicious or defective applications.
"Normal Linux system security relies on the kernel and the dependencies created through the setuid/setgid binaries. Under the conventional security mechanism, an exploit of a flaw with any privileged application, configuration, or process running usually leads to a total system compromise. This problem is consistent with most modern operating systems due to their complexity and interoperability with other applications..."