Bug 2318409 - SELinux prevents USB hotplug of Prolific PL2303 USB to serial adaptor to a CentOS 6 guest
Summary: SELinux prevents USB hotplug of Prolific PL2303 USB to serial adaptor to a Ce...
Keywords:
Status: CLOSED EOL
Alias: None
Product: Fedora
Classification: Fedora
Component: selinux-policy
Version: 41
Hardware: x86_64
OS: Linux
unspecified
low
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Zdenek Pytela
QA Contact: Fedora Extras Quality Assurance
URL:
Whiteboard:
Depends On:
Blocks:
TreeView+ depends on / blocked
 
Reported: 2024-10-13 14:12 UTC by Joachim Katzer
Modified: 2025-12-16 17:16 UTC (History)
13 users (show)

Fixed In Version:
Clone Of:
Environment:
Last Closed: 2025-12-16 17:16:05 UTC
Type: ---
Embargoed:


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Description Joachim Katzer 2024-10-13 14:12:04 UTC
My system is a Geekom MiniPC IT11 with Fedora Silverblue 41 Beta and boxes and virt-manager installed as layered packages. 
A Prolific PL2303 USB to serial adaptor connect the PC to an old Garmin GPS device Foretrex 201 with a serial port.

Connecting a Prolific PL2303 USB to serial adaptor to CentOS6 does not work unless:
- Silverblue host user added to group dialout (not a bug)
- SELinux set to Permissive



Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Add user on host to group dialout
2. Setup VM in GNOME-Boxes.
2. Connect device with a serial port (e.g. Garmin GPS)
3. Redirect USB Device to VM (with SELinux enforced and then permissive), check /dev/ttyUSB0

3.3
Actual Results:  
If SELinux is enforced, redirection fails. GNOME-Boxes simply reports "Redirection .. failed").
If SELinux is permissive, redirection is successful.




Expected Results:  
Redirection should work also in Enforced mode.

Testing this issue requires a device with a serial port and a Prolific PL2303 USB to serial adaptor.

I am using an outdated Firefox 17 plugin to load data from the GPS device to the VM guest. That's the reason I cannot use a recent Linux distro.

For testing the issue it should be sufficient to check if /dev/ttyUSB0 shows up on the host at first, and then in VM after redirection.

Comment 1 Adam Williamson 2024-10-14 15:48:57 UTC
As the issue is an SELinux denial and it works in permissive mode, moving to selinux-policy. Joachim, it would be great if you can get the details about the SELinux denial. If you run the "SELinux Troubleshooter" app it should be able to automatically submit a bug report with all the needed details, which we can close this as a dupe of. Otherwise, can you at least do:

sudo ausearch -m avc

and post the output? thanks!

Comment 2 Joachim Katzer 2024-10-14 16:58:13 UTC
When I try to redirect the adaptor, no AVCs are logged.
I had to turn off dontaudit rules by the command "semodule -DB". Then the following AVCs are logged on redirecting /dev/ttyUSB0:

ime->Mon Oct 14 18:40:47 2024
type=AVC msg=audit(1728924047.690:1368): avc:  denied  { noatsecure } for  pid=5219 comm="polkitd" scontext=system_u:system_r:policykit_t:s0 tcontext=system_u:system_r:policykit_auth_t:s0 tclass=process permissive=1
----
time->Mon Oct 14 18:40:47 2024
type=AVC msg=audit(1728924047.690:1369): avc:  denied  { rlimitinh } for  pid=5219 comm="pkla-check-auth" scontext=system_u:system_r:policykit_t:s0 tcontext=system_u:system_r:policykit_auth_t:s0 tclass=process permissive=1
----
time->Mon Oct 14 18:40:47 2024
type=AVC msg=audit(1728924047.690:1370): avc:  denied  { siginh } for  pid=5219 comm="pkla-check-auth" scontext=system_u:system_r:policykit_t:s0 tcontext=system_u:system_r:policykit_auth_t:s0 tclass=process permissive=1

However, when dontaudit rules are active, then redirection fails even if SELinux is in "Permissive" mode.
The log entries are equal. After turning on the dontaudit rules by "semodule -B", redirection is working again in and only in "Permissive" mode.

Comment 3 Adam Williamson 2025-12-02 01:21:39 UTC
This message is a reminder that Fedora Linux 41 is nearing its end of life.
Fedora will stop maintaining and issuing updates for Fedora Linux 41 on 2025-12-15.
It is Fedora's policy to close all bug reports from releases that are no longer
maintained. At that time this bug will be closed as EOL if it remains open with a
'version' of '41'.

Package Maintainer: If you wish for this bug to remain open because you
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Thank you for reporting this issue and we are sorry that we were not 
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of Fedora Linux, you are encouraged to change the 'version' to a later version
prior to this bug being closed.

Comment 4 Samyak Jain (RedHat) 2025-12-16 17:16:05 UTC
Fedora Linux 41 entered end-of-life (EOL) status on 2025-12-15.

Fedora Linux 41 is no longer maintained, which means that it
will not receive any further security or bug fix updates. As a result we
are closing this bug.

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