AppArmor Is Going Into The Linux 2.6.36 Kernel

James Morris has outlined a preview of the security subsystem changes he is currently carrying in his security-testing-next branch of the Linux kernel that he plans to have Linus Torvalds pull into the next kernel development cycle for Linux 2.6.36. The big change in the kernel security world is that AppArmor is being planned for integration into the Linux 2.6.36 kernel.

AppArmor is a Mandatory Access Control system has been in development for a half-decade as an alternative to using SELinux for securing Linux systems. Similar to SELinux and TOMOYO, AppArmor is implemented over the Linux Security Modules (LSM) kernel interface. Some of the major distributions that have backed AppArmor as part of their security model are Ubuntu, openSUSE, and Mandriva.

The message by James Morris that lists AppArmor as well as the SELinux, Smack, and TOMOYO changes planned for Linux 2.6.36 kernel integration can be found at LKML.org. The Linux 2.6.35 kernel should soon be released, which will then open up the merge window for the 2.6.36 kernel.