SELinux Protected Paths Revisited

We revisit the notion of achieving a protected communication path for applications connected via the Internet using SELinux. Last year, we discussed the mechanism for integrating IPsec with SELinux security labels, but we did not consider the system goals for using such labels. Toward this end, we revisit early SELinux proposals for what is called a protected path. A protected path is a secure communication path that has the same security guarantees as if the two ends are directly connected on a trusted platform and mutually authenticated. If a protected path can be constructed over the Internet in a reliable manner, then distributed applications can be as secure as two applications running on the same, isolated environment. A variety of challenges remain in building a protected path system, but interestingly, efforts are underway in most areas, with the notable exception of secure windowing systems. This talk will outline an approach to protected paths in the context of a distributed computing example, what work is underway toward achieving protected paths, and what is required of that work to compose protected paths with SELinux.