Chapter 6. Configuring basic system security
Computer security is the protection of computer systems and their hardware, software, information, and services from theft, damage, disruption, and misdirection. Ensuring computer security is an essential task, in particular in enterprises that process sensitive data and handle business transactions.
This section covers only the basic security features that you can configure after installation of the operating system.
6.1. Enabling the firewalld service
A firewall is a network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic according to configured security rules. A firewall typically establishes a barrier between a trusted secure internal network and another outside network.
The firewalld service, which provides a firewall in Red Hat Enterprise Linux, is automatically enabled during installation.
To enable the firewalld service, follow this procedure.
Procedure
Display the current status of
firewalld:$ systemctl status firewalld ● firewalld.service - firewalld - dynamic firewall daemon Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/firewalld.service; disabled; vendor preset: enabled) Active: inactive (dead) ...If
firewalldis not enabled and running, switch to therootuser, and start thefirewalldservice and enable to start it automatically after the system restarts:# systemctl enable --now firewalld
Verification
Check that
firewalldis running and enabled:$ systemctl status firewalld ● firewalld.service - firewalld - dynamic firewall daemon Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/firewalld.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled) Active: active (running) ...
Additional resources
- Using and configuring firewalld
-
man firewalld(1)
6.2. Managing firewall in the rhel 8 web console
To configure the firewalld service in the web console, navigate to
By default, the firewalld service is enabled.
Prerequisites
You have installed the RHEL 8 web console.
For instructions, see Installing and enabling the web console.
Procedure
Log in to the RHEL 8 web console.
For details, see Logging in to the web console.
To enable or disable
firewalldin the web console, switch the toggle button.
Additionally, you can define more fine-grained access through the firewall to a service using the button.
6.3. Managing basic SELinux settings
Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux) is an additional layer of system security that determines which processes can access which files, directories, and ports. These permissions are defined in SELinux policies. A policy is a set of rules that guide the SELinux security engine.
SELinux has two possible states:
- Disabled
- Enabled
When SELinux is enabled, it runs in one of the following modes:
Enabled
- Enforcing
- Permissive
In enforcing mode, SELinux enforces the loaded policies. SELinux denies access based on SELinux policy rules and enables only the interactions that are explicitly allowed. Enforcing mode is the safest SELinux mode and is the default mode after installation.
In permissive mode, SELinux does not enforce the loaded policies. SELinux does not deny access, but reports actions that break the rules to the /var/log/audit/audit.log log. Permissive mode is the default mode during installation. Permissive mode is also useful in some specific cases, for example when troubleshooting problems.
Additional resources
6.4. Switching SELinux modes in the RHEL 8 web console
You can set SELinux mode through the RHEL 8 web console in the SELinux menu item.
By default, SELinux enforcing policy in the web console is on, and SELinux operates in enforcing mode. By turning it off, you switch SELinux to permissive mode. Note that this selection is automatically reverted on the next boot to the configuration defined in the /etc/sysconfig/selinux file.
Prerequisites
You have installed the RHEL 8 web console.
For instructions, see Installing and enabling the web console.
Procedure
Log in to the RHEL 8 web console.
For details, see Logging in to the web console.
In the web console, use the toggle button in the SELinux menu item to turn SELinux enforcing policy on or off.
