use_ecryptfs_home_dirs boolean - selinux - Fedora mailing-lists

15 Nov 2013


      Because Ecryptfs does not support xattr, so a variety of  application control type under ecryptfs user home  is replaced by ecryptfs_t. In the
 serepolicy-3.12.1 version, The 'use_ecryptfs_home_dirs' Boolean control ecyprfs_t type under users encrypted directory. The Boolean control granularity is coarse, such as xserver, Mozilla, chrome applications setting policy, while related to the home user domain gives the 
ecryptfs_t object to operate and manage permissions. In the configuration of the ecryptfs_t type to control encrypted user home directory method has following problems :
1> ecryptfs user home directory only ecryptfs_t type, can not be distinguished by type between different applications under the user home
 directory, so that use_ecryptfs_home_dirs Boolean control permission is too big.
2> if user home directory add new applications, you will need to supplement the application policy of ecryptfs_t type, while not directly use the existing policy that is used under the unencrypted user home directory. 
To solve these problems, I have a idea that we can use 'semanage fcontext' command to realize ecrytfs user home directory and unencrypted user home directory shared control policy.
Actually, using the ecryptfs user home directory is to operate the encrypted directory (/home/.ecryptfs/$USER_NAME/. Pravite) . The files under encrypted directory and ecryptfs mounted point directory (/home/$USER_NAME/) are one to one. With the following commands, the 
ecryptfs user home directory (but filenames aren't be encrypted) can be labelled with the unencrypted user home directory security context.
# semanage fcontext -a -e /home/$USER_NAME /home/.ecryptfs/$USER_NAME/.Private# restorecon -RFv /home/.ecryptfs/$USER_NAME/.Private# restorecon -R -v /home/.ecryptfs/
The ecryptfs does not encrypt user home directory filenames  and only encypted file contents case, this method can realize to use common user home directory policy, better than the existing 'user_ecryptfs_home_dirs' boolean control.