18.5 Configuring SELinux for Samba

SELinux is a system integrated by default into the Linux kernel on all Fedora 31 systems and which provides an extra layer of security and protection to the operating system and user files.

Traditionally, Linux security has been based on the concept of allowing users to decide who has access to their files and other resources for which they have ownership. Consider, for example, a file located in the home directory of, and owned by, a particular user. That user is able to control the access permissions of that file in terms of whether other users on the system are able to read and write to or, in the case of a script or binary, execute the file. This type of security is referred to as discretionary access control since access to resources is left to the discretion of the user.

With SELinux, however, access is controlled by the system administrator and cannot be overridden by the user. This is referred to as mandatory access control and is defined...