Towards Usable Application-Oriented Access Controls: Qualitative Results from a Usability Study of SELinux, AppArmor and FBAC-LSM

Z. Cliffe Schreuders, Tanya McGill and Christian Payne
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Z. Cliffe Schreuders: Leeds Metropolitan University, UK
Tanya McGill: Murdoch University, Australia
Christian Payne: Murdoch University, Australia

International Journal of Information Security and Privacy (IJISP), 2012, vol. 6, issue 1, 57-76

Abstract: A number of security mechanisms are available for improving the security of systems by restricting the actions of individual programs to activities that are authorised. However, configuring these systems to enforce end users’ own security goals is often beyond their expertise. Little research has investigated the usability issues associated with application-oriented access controls. This paper presents the results of a qualitative analysis of user perceptions of the usability of three application-oriented security systems: SELinux, AppArmor, and FBAC-LSM. Qualitative analysis identified a number of factors that affect the usability of application-restriction mechanisms. These themes are used to compare the usability of the three systems studied, and it is proposed that these factors can be used to inform the design of new systems and development of existing ones. Changes to the three security systems are also proposed to address or mitigate specific usability issues that were identified.

Date: 2012
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International Journal of Information Security and Privacy (IJISP) is currently edited by Yassine Maleh

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