"The three authors are well versed in the topic and comprise the best team to write on SELinux that you could find. Even though it is written as a straightforward text - as opposed to a study guide - I appreciate how each chapter ends with a summary and then exercises to reinforce what you've just finished reading. "--Emmett Dulaney, Editor, UnixReview.com

"This is a very good book and is easily the best I've seen yet on the subject of SELinux. If you've been tasked with maintaining an SELinux-enabled machine, would like to write or enhance existing SELinux policy, or just want to understand what SELinux is and how it came to be, then this is the book for you. "--Ryan Maple, Reviewer, LinuxSecurity.com

Back Cover Copy

SELinux: Bring World-Class Security to Any Linux Environment!

SELinux offers Linux/UNIX integrators, administrators, and developers a state-of-the-art platform for building and maintaining highly secure solutions. Now that SELinux is included in the Linux 2.6 kernel—and delivered by default in Fedora Core, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and other major distributions—it’s easier than ever to take advantage
of its benefits.

SELinux by Example is the first complete, hands-on guide to using SELinux in production environments. Authored by three leading SELinux researchers and developers, it illuminates every facet of working with SELinux, from its architecture and security object model to its policy language. The book thoroughly explains SELinux sample policies— including the powerful new Reference Policy—showing how to quickly adapt them to your unique environment. It also contains a comprehensive SELinux policy language reference and covers exciting new features in Fedora Core 5 and the upcoming Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 5.

• Thoroughly understand SELinux’s access control and security mechanisms

• Use SELinux to construct secure systems from the ground up

• Gain fine-grained control over kernel resources

• Write policy statements for type enforcement, roles, users, and constraints

• Use optional multilevel security to enforce information classification and manage users with diverse clearances

• Create conditional policies that can be changed on-the-fly

• Define, manage, and maintain SELinux security policies

• Develop and write new SELinux security policy modules

• Leverage emerging SELinux technologies to gain even greater flexibility

• Effectively administer any SELinux system

Customer Reviews & Comments
--- DISCLAIMER: This is a requested review by PTR, however any opinions expressed within the review are my personal ones. --- The book SbE comes in 3 parts and additionally with 45 page strong Appendix containing more detailed information where to get additonal information from. Part I - A general overview (p. 1-55) Part II - The SELinux Policy language (p. 57-236) Part III - Creating and writing SELinux Security Policies (p. 237 - 362) Appendix A (p. 364 - 409) The book is mainly about policies itself and how to implement them. Writing those policies is most of the time a time intensive and error prone task. Readers planning on understanding SELinux should bring some time with them to fully understand and appreciate the examples given for the "example" policy (f.e. strict or targeted) and the "reference" policy. Whats going to prove useful is the hints given towards which trade-offs you may need to take when deciding f.e. to use the strict policy. While the topic itself might seem dry for many readers the book will prove useful for those genuinely interested. The book does describe the most useful tools to put the reader straight on track and avoid loosing time. The lovely prepared useful details like the 17 page index are a nice feature you will find yourself refering to when in need. Some readers might find that they better leave the setup of SELinux to professional service companies, but still the book serves to get an understanding what you can and possibly cant do with SELinux. The article "Secure Linux - security kit review" from Hakin9's online library serves as a nice compliment to the book. Comment | Permalink | (Report this)