---
name: "failsafe_context"
section: "5"
platform: "linux"
package: "selinux-utils"
version: "3.8.1-1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/failsafe_context"
---

# failsafe\_context(5)

The SELinux fail safe context configuration file

## NAME

failsafe\_context - The SELinux fail safe context configuration file

## DESCRIPTION

The *failsafe\_context* file allows SELinux-aware applications such as [**PAM**(8)](/PAM/8.md)  to obtain a known valid login context for an administrator if no valid default entries can be found elsewhere.

[**selinux\_failsafe\_context\_path**(3)](/selinux_failsafe_context_path/3.md)  will return the active policy path to this file. The default failsafe context file is:

*/etc/selinux/{SELINUXTYPE}/contexts/failsafe\_context*

Where *{SELINUXTYPE}* is the entry from the selinux configuration file *config* (see [**selinux\_config**(5)](/selinux_config/5.md)).

The following functions read this file from the active policy path if they cannot obtain a default context:\

[**get\_default\_context**(3)](/get_default_context/3.md) \
 [**get\_ordered\_context\_list**(3)](/get_ordered_context_list/3.md) \
 [**get\_ordered\_context\_list\_with\_level**(3)](/get_ordered_context_list_with_level/3.md) \
 [**get\_default\_context\_with\_level**(3)](/get_default_context_with_level/3.md) \
 [**get\_default\_context\_with\_role**(3)](/get_default_context_with_role/3.md) \
 [**get\_default\_context\_with\_rolelevel**(3)](/get_default_context_with_rolelevel/3.md) \
 [**query\_user\_context**(3)](/query_user_context/3.md) \
 [**manual\_user\_enter\_context**(3)](/manual_user_enter_context/3.md)

## FILE FORMAT

The file consists of a single line entry as follows:

*role***:***type*\[**:***range*\]

Where:

*role* *type* *range*

A role, type and optional range (for MCS/MLS), separated by colons (:) to form a valid login process context for an administrator to access the system.

## EXAMPLE

\# ./contexts/failsafe\_context\
 unconfined\_r:unconfined\_t:s0

## SEE ALSO

[**selinux**(8)](/selinux/8.md), [**selinux\_failsafe\_context\_path**(3)](/selinux_failsafe_context_path/3.md), [**PAM**(8)](/PAM/8.md), [**selinux\_default\_type\_path**(3)](/selinux_default_type_path/3.md), [**get\_default\_context**(3)](/get_default_context/3.md), [**get\_ordered\_context\_list**(3)](/get_ordered_context_list/3.md), [**get\_ordered\_context\_list\_with\_level**(3)](/get_ordered_context_list_with_level/3.md), [**get\_default\_context\_with\_level**(3)](/get_default_context_with_level/3.md), [**get\_default\_context\_with\_role**(3)](/get_default_context_with_role/3.md), [**get\_default\_context\_with\_rolelevel**(3)](/get_default_context_with_rolelevel/3.md), [**query\_user\_context**(3)](/query_user_context/3.md), [**manual\_user\_enter\_context**(3)](/manual_user_enter_context/3.md), [**selinux\_config**(5)](/selinux_config/5.md)