Labels

The Trusted Solaris environment uses a string called a label, which contains a classification and compartments in similar fashion to clearances. The label determines which information you can access. Labels are also referred to as sensitivity labels or SLs, for short. Labels may be displayed inside square brackets ([]) in window title bars, in the trusted stripe (a special area at the bottom of the screen), or not at all, depending on how your system is configured. Figure 1-3 shows a configuration configured to display labels; the labels and trusted stripe are indicated.

Figure 1-3 Typical Environment with Labels Displayed

All subjects and objects in a system have labels. A subject is an active entity, usually a process (running program), that causes information to flow among objects or changes the system state. An object is a passive entity that contains or receives data, such as a data file, directory, printer, or other device. In some cases, a process may be an object, such as when you use kill on a process.