How To: List Files with SELinux Contexts
When running a SELinux based setup, it might be useful to know how to quickly inspect files and directories to confirm their current SELinux context.
What is SELinux Context?
Every process and file in SELinux based environment can be labeled with additional information that helps fulfill RBAC (Role-Based Access Control), TE (Type Enforcement) and MLS (Multi-Level Security).
SELinux context is the combination of such additional information:
- user
- role
- type
- level
In the following example we can see that unconfined_u is the SELinux user, object_r is the role, user_home_dir_t is the object type (home user directory) and the SELinux sensitivity (MCS terminology) level is s0:
drwx------. 17 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_dir_t:s0 4096 Feb 19 12:14 .
Use ls -Z to show SELinux Context
Using ls command with -Z option will show the SELinux contexts. This command line option is totally made to be combined with other ls command options:
[greys@rhel8 ~]$ ls -alZ . total 64 drwx------. 17 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_dir_t:s0 4096 Feb 19 12:14 . drwxr-xr-x. 3 root root system_u:object_r:home_root_t:s0 19 Jan 15 17:34 .. -rw-------. 1 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0 2035 Feb 19 12:14 .bash_history -rw-r--r--. 1 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0 18 Oct 12 17:56 .bash_logout -rw-r--r--. 1 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0 218 Jan 28 17:42 .bash_profile -rw-r--r--. 1 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0 312 Oct 12 17:56 .bashrc drwx------. 12 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:cache_home_t:s0 4096 Jan 21 06:41 .cache drwx------. 14 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:config_home_t:s0 278 Jan 21 06:41 .config drwx------. 3 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:dbus_home_t:s0 25 Jan 20 18:28 .dbus drwxr-xr-x. 2 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0 6 Jan 20 18:28 Desktop drwxr-xr-x. 2 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0 6 Jan 20 18:28 Documents drwxr-xr-x. 2 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0 6 Jan 20 18:28 Downloads -rw-------. 1 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:pulseaudio_home_t:s0 16 Jan 15 19:15 .esd_auth -rw-------. 1 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:iceauth_home_t:s0 1244 Jan 20 18:46 .ICEauthority -rw-------. 1 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0 3434 Jan 22 18:06 id_rsa_4k -rw-r--r--. 1 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0 737 Jan 22 18:06 id_rsa_4k.pub -rw-rw-r--. 1 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0 21 Jan 28 17:53 infile2.txt -rw-------. 1 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0 38 Jan 22 18:05 .lesshst drwxr-xr-x. 3 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:gconf_home_t:s0 19 Jan 20 18:28 .local drwxr-xr-x. 2 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:audio_home_t:s0 6 Jan 20 18:28 Music -rw-rw-r--. 1 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0 0 Jan 22 18:01 newkey drwxr-xr-x. 2 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0 6 Jan 20 18:28 Pictures drwxrw----. 3 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:home_cert_t:s0 19 Jan 20 18:28 .pki drwxr-xr-x. 2 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0 6 Jan 20 18:28 Public drwxrwxr-x. 4 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0 165 Jan 16 11:00 screenFetch -rw-------. 1 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:xauth_home_t:s0 150 Jan 20 18:44 .serverauth.1859 -rw-------. 1 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:xauth_home_t:s0 50 Jan 20 18:39 .serverauth.1893 drwx------. 2 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:ssh_home_t:s0 70 Jan 22 18:07 .ssh -rw-rw-r--. 1 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0 0 Jan 21 07:49 system_u:object_r:shell_exec_t:s0 drwxr-xr-x. 2 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0 6 Jan 20 18:28 Templates drwxr-xr-x. 2 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0 6 Jan 20 18:28 Videos -rw-------. 1 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0 2874 Jan 29 04:40 .viminfo -rw-------. 1 greys greys unconfined_u:object_r:xauth_home_t:s0 260 Feb 19 12:14 .Xauthority
