This section introduces the following Trusted Extensions APIs that are described in this book:
Label APIs
Trusted X Window System APIs
In addition to these Trusted Extensions APIs, you can use the security APIs that are available with the Oracle Solaris OS. An application that runs on Trusted Extensions might require the manipulation of other security attributes. For example, the user and profile databases contain information about users, roles, authorizations, and profiles. These databases can restrict who can run a program. Privileges are coded into various Oracle Solaris programs and can also be coded into third-party applications.
For more information about these Oracle Solaris OS security APIs, see Developing Privileged Applications, in Solaris Security for Developers Guide.
The Oracle Solaris OS provides discretionary access control (DAC), in which the owner of the data determines who is permitted access to the data. The Trusted Extensions software provides additional access control, which is called mandatory access control (MAC). In MAC, ordinary users cannot specify or override the security policy. The security administrator sets the security policy.
Applications use Trusted Extensions APIs to obtain labels for hosts, zones, users, and roles. Where the security policy permits, the APIs enable you to set labels on user processes or on role processes. Setting a label on a zone or on a host is an administrative procedure, not a programmatic procedure.
The label APIs operate on opaque labels. In an opaque label, the internal structure of the label is not exposed. Using an opaque label enables existing programs that are created with the APIs to function even if the internal structure of the label changes. For example, you cannot use the label APIs to locate particular bits in a label. The label APIs enable you to obtain labels and to set labels. You can only set labels if you are permitted to do so by the security policy.