When evaluating cybersecurity products, it's easy to focus on surface-level features like dashboards, alerts and integrations. But real strength often lies more deeply, in the architecture itself. One embedded capability that demonstrates rigorous security design principles is Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux). 

Originally developed by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and released to the open-source community, SELinux is a mandatory access control (MAC) framework built into the Linux kernel. It enforces strict, policy-driven rules that govern how applications, services and users interact with system resources, making it a powerful defense against privilege escalation, lateral movement and zero-day exploits. 

If the cybersecurity product you're evaluating includes SELinux, especially in enforcing mode, that’s a strong indicator of architectural maturity and proactive threat containment. 

What makes SELinux different and better? 

SELinux labels every process and file with a security context and uses pre-defined policies to control how they interact. Unlike traditional access controls that rely on user permissions, SELinux enforces security policies to all users and processes, even those with root (administrator) privileges. 

This is a big deal because it prevents attackers from exploiting root access to move laterally, exfiltrate data, or disable security controls. SELinux essentially removes the "superpower" status of root, enforcing security boundaries that are defined by policy, not privilege. 

This means that even if an attacker gains privileged (aka root) access, SELinux can prevent them from executing unauthorized actions that deviate from the pre-set policy. This level of security goes beyond detection to encompass prevention at the operating system level. 

How SELinux works 

SELinux runs in multiple modes: 

  • Disabled: Not active, no security enforcement. 
  • Permissive: Logs violations but doesn’t block them; useful for testing. 
  • Enforcing: Actively blocks unauthorized actions based on policy. 
  • Strict enforcement: Refers to enforcing mode combined with a strict policy that is enforced by default. 

Products that run SELinux in strict enforcing mode offer real-time protection of the system’s processes and resources. The attack surface is minimized, making it significantly harder for attackers to move around the system. Every user, service and daemon is subject to mandatory least-privilege access control. Strict enforcement is typically used in high-security environments (e.g., government, finance, defense) where no process is trusted by default, and every interaction must be explicitly allowed by policy. 

While you won’t be configuring SELinux yourself, it helps to understand how vendors like Ivanti use it to harden their products: 

1. Starting in permissive mode: We begin by observing system behavior under SELinux policies without blocking anything. 

2. Extensive testing: We log violations, identify legitimate operations and refine policies to avoid false positives. 

3. Custom policy development: Policies are tailored to the product’s architecture and use cases. 

4. Lab validation in enforcing mode: Before release, we test SELinux in enforcing and strict enforcement modes under simulated real-world conditions. 

This process ensures that SELinux enhances security without disrupting functionality, and that users get optimal protection without performance trade-offs. Further, the process outlined above is on a per-release basis — meaning, as the software evolves to newer versions, the SELinux policy must be tested, tuned and repeated with every new version of the software product. 

This process is time consuming and demands substantial development resources to execute properly. Only the most dedicated and lean-forward security vendors configure SELinux with strict enforcement. 

Real-world example: Oracle Linux deployment

Oracle Linux supports SELinux in enforcing mode and is widely used to secure Oracle database environments and workloads on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. SELinux helps isolate processes, enforce least privilege and protect sensitive data from unauthorized access — even in complex enterprise deployments. 

For buyers, this means that products built on Oracle Linux with SELinux enabled, including Ivanti Connect Secure, are already hardened against many classes of attack. (You can find more details in Oracle’s official guide.) 

Security technology that delivers business value 

When SELinux is embedded in a cybersecurity solution, the technology delivers strategic benefits that align with enterprise priorities. 

  • Audit and compliance readiness: SELinux logs every access attempt, successful or denied, creating a rich audit trail. SELinux enforcement and audit trail helps meet regulatory requirements like CIS Level-1/2 Hardening, STIG, NIST-800 and other regulations that require system hardening. 
  • Granular access control: Fine-grained rules are enforced at the process level, limiting access even for root users. This reduces the risk of privilege escalation and insider threats, which is especially important in environments with sensitive data or complex user roles. 
  • Reduced attack surface: SELinux isolates processes and enforces least-privilege access, which prevents lateral movement within the system. This containment strategy is critical for limiting the blast radius of any breach. SELinux blocks unauthorized actions at the OS level, making it harder for attackers to exploit vulnerabilities, including zero-days. 
  • Enterprise-grade assurance: Vendors like Ivanti that use SELinux in their products are demonstrating a significant commitment to security best practices. This approach supports risk management, enhances trust and distinctly differentiates the solution in a competitive market. 
  • Operational stability: When policies are properly tuned, SELinux operates silently in the background, enforcing security without impacting performance which is ideal for mission-critical environments where uptime matters. 

Final thoughts on SELinux value

Buyers evaluating cybersecurity products should look beyond surface-level features and ask what’s protecting the system at its core. SELinux is one of those under-the-hood technologies that quietly enforces real protection, blocking unauthorized actions (even from privileged users) and containing threats before they spread. 

Its presence in a product signals a hardened architecture, proactive threat containment and a vendor that takes system integrity seriously. You won’t configure it yourself, but you’ll benefit from it every time an exploit fails to gain traction. 

Ivanti's commitment to security

Ivanti was one of the first to sign onto CISA’s “Secure by Design” pledge in 2024. As part of this effort, Ivanti has invested heavily in hardening the Connect Secure product, modernizing its operating system and embedding security into every layer of development.  

At the core of Ivanti’s development philosophy is our Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC), enabling the seven key elements of Secure Software Design: Security as Code (SaC), Secure by Default, Least Privilege, Separation of Duties (SoD), Minimize Attack Surface Area (ASA), Complete Mediation and Failing Securely. Additionally, Ivanti also follows their own strict Secure Application Development Standard, which mandates compliance with the OWASP Application Security Verification Standards (ASVS). Together these rigorous frameworks ensure that every product feature is designed and implemented with security as a primary consideration, providing customers with solutions that meet the highest industry benchmarks.