NAME    [Toc]    [Back]

     securelevel - securelevel and its effects

SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]

     The OpenBSD kernel provides four levels of system security:

     -1 Permanently insecure mode
           -   init(8) will not attempt to raise the securelevel
           -   may only be set with sysctl(8) while the system is
insecure
           -   otherwise identical to securelevel 0

      0 Insecure mode
           -    used during bootstrapping and while the system is
single-user
           -   all devices may be  read  or  written  subject  to
their permissions
           -   system file flags may be cleared

      1 Secure mode
           -   default mode when system is multi-user
           -    securelevel  may  no  longer be lowered except by
init
           -   /dev/mem and /dev/kmem may not be written to
           -   raw disk devices of mounted file systems are readonly
           -    system  immutable  and append-only file flags may
not be removed
           -   kernel modules may not be loaded or unloaded
           -   the fs.posix.setuid sysctl(8) variable may not  be
raised
           -   the net.inet.ip.sourceroute sysctl(8) variable may
not be
               raised

      2 Highly secure mode
           -   all effects of securelevel 1
           -   raw disk  devices  are  always  read-only  whether
mounted or not
           -    settimeofday(2)  and clock_settime(2) may not set
the time backwards
 or close to overflow
           -   pfctl(8) may no longer alter filter or nat rules
           -   the ddb.console and ddb.panic sysctl(8)  variables
may not be
               raised

DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]

     Securelevel  provides convenient means of ``locking down'' a
system to a
     degree suited to its environment.  It  is  normally  set  at
boot via the
     rc.securelevel(8)  script,  or  the  superuser may raise securelevel at any
     time by modifying the kern.securelevel  sysctl(8)  variable.
However, only
     init(8)  may  lower  it  once  the system has entered secure
mode.  A kernel
     built with option INSECURE in the config file  will  default
to permanently
     insecure mode.

     Highly  secure mode may seem Draconian, but is intended as a
last line of
     defence should the superuser account  be  compromised.   Its
effects preclude
  circumvention of file flags by direct modification of
a raw disk
     device, or erasure of a file system by  means  of  newfs(8).
Further, it
     can limit the potential damage of a compromised ``firewall''
by prohibiting
 the modification of packet filter rules.  Preventing the
system clock
     from  being  set  backwards aids in post-mortem analysis and
helps ensure
     the integrity of logs.  Precision timekeeping is not affected because the
     clock may still be slowed.

     Because  securelevel  can be modified with the in-kernel debugger ddb(4), a
     convenient means of locking it off (if present) is  provided
on highly secure
  systems.   This is accomplished by setting ddb.console
and ddb.panic
     to 0 with the sysctl(8) utility.

FILES    [Toc]    [Back]

     /etc/rc.securelevel  commands that run before  the  security
level changes

SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]

     chflags(2),  settimeofday(2),  mem(4),  options(4), init(8),
rc(8),
     sysctl(8)

HISTORY    [Toc]    [Back]

     The securelevel manual page first appeared in OpenBSD 2.6.

BUGS    [Toc]    [Back]

     The list of securelevel's effects may not be  comprehensive.

OpenBSD      3.6                          January     4,     2000