aa-update-browser

List available browser abstraction profiles

$ sudo aa-update-browser -l

$ sudo aa-update-browser -d [path/to/profile]

$ sudo aa-update-browser -u [abstraction1,abstraction2,...] [path/to/profile]

$ sudo aa-update-browser -u '' [path/to/profile]

$ aa-update-browser -h

aa-update-browser [OPTIONS]

--force
    Updates profiles without prompting for user confirmation, overwriting existing profiles if necessary.

--dry-run
    Performs a simulated run, showing what actions would be taken without actually making any changes to the system.

--no-discover-packages
    Prevents the tool from attempting to discover new browser installations through package managers.

--no-confirm
    Executes actions without requiring interactive user confirmation (similar to --force, depending on version).

--debug
    Enables verbose debug output, useful for troubleshooting issues.

--version
    Displays the version information of the aa-update-browser utility and exits.

--help
    Shows a help message detailing command usage and available options, then exits.

aa-update-browser is a utility included with the apparmor-profiles package, designed to enhance system security. Its primary function is to automatically detect installed web browsers, such as Firefox, Chromium, Google Chrome, Opera, Brave, and Vivaldi, on a Linux system. Once detected, it generates or updates their corresponding AppArmor security profiles. These profiles are crucial for confining browser processes, thereby enhancing system security by limiting what the browser can do and access. The command typically requires root privileges to modify system-level security configurations and can operate either interactively (prompting for confirmation) or non-interactively when used with specific options like --force. It plays a vital role in maintaining up-to-date and effective AppArmor confinement for sensitive applications like web browsers, which are frequently targeted in security exploits.

• This command typically requires root privileges (e.g., via sudo) to modify AppArmor profiles, which are system-wide security configurations.
• While aa-update-browser generates sensible default profiles, users might need to manually fine-tune these profiles (e.g., using aa-logprof or editing the profile directly) for specific browser extensions or unique use cases to avoid unexpected denials.
• Using options like --force or --no-confirm can overwrite custom profile modifications without warning, so caution is advised when using these in automated scripts.

AppArmor profiles define what system resources (e.g., files, network access, system capabilities) a program is permitted to access. For web browsers, applying a restrictive AppArmor profile significantly reduces the potential damage from vulnerabilities. Even if an exploit compromises the browser, the AppArmor confinement can prevent the malicious code from accessing sensitive user data outside the browser's designated directories or from performing unauthorized system modifications.

By default, aa-update-browser may operate interactively, prompting the user for confirmation before making changes. This design choice helps prevent unintended modifications. For scripting or automated environments, the --force or --no-confirm options are used to bypass these interactive prompts, allowing the command to run without user intervention.

The aa-update-browser utility is part of the apparmor-profiles package, which extends the AppArmor mandatory access control system. Its development reflects the ongoing effort to automate and simplify the application of robust security profiles for commonly used, high-risk applications like web browsers. As browser functionalities and potential attack vectors evolve, tools like aa-update-browser have become crucial for automatically keeping their security profiles up-to-date, thereby providing a dynamic defense against new threats and vulnerabilities without requiring extensive manual configuration from users.

aa-genprof(8), aa-enforce(8), aa-complain(8), aa-logprof(8), apparmor(7)