---
title: "HOST-MAC-001 No Mandatory Access Control Enforced"
canonical: https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-MAC-001.html
html: https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-MAC-001.html
site: OpenVAPT, https://openvapt.com/
license: OpenVAPT Source-Available Licence 1.3, https://openvapt.com/legal/licence-text.html
modified: 2026-10-14
version: 0.1.0-alpha.6
---

# HOST-MAC-001 No Mandatory Access Control Enforced

Checks that AppArmor or SELinux is enabled and enforcing.

- Domain: Server
- Severity: Low
- Control category: Secure Configuration
- Fix effort: high
- CVSS v3.1 vector: `CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N`
- CIS Controls v8: 4.1
- NIST CSF 2.0: PR.PS-01
- CWE: CWE-250
- NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: AC-3(3), AC-6
- Benchmark topic: Mandatory access control (topic only, no benchmark text)

## Why It Matters

Mandatory access control confines services even when they run as root, so a compromised web server or database cannot freely read or change the rest of the system.

## How It Detects

Reads /sys/fs/selinux/enforce (1 means enforcing) and /sys/module/apparmor/parameters/enabled (Y means enabled).

## How to Fix

Ubuntu/Debian: keep AppArmor enabled (systemctl enable --now apparmor) and its profiles in enforce mode. RHEL family: set SELINUX=enforcing in /etc/selinux/config and relabel. Test applications in permissive or complain mode first.

## How to Verify

```
getenforce  or  aa-status
```

## Learn the Theory

- [P1 Linux Server Hardening](https://openvapt.com/academy/p1.md)

## References

- [Linux kernel documentation, Linux Security Module development and LSMs](https://docs.kernel.org/admin-guide/LSM/index.html)

## Source Code

https://github.com/OpenVAPT/openvapt/blob/574f7f3333c44b75a3c649e2d93a76d507f75adf/internal/checks/host/hardening.go

Run it: `openvapt scan --only HOST-MAC-001`. Read it offline: `openvapt explain HOST-MAC-001`.

---

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