Quick commands to list which AppArmor profiles are loaded and whether they enforce or complain. 09.01.2026 | reading time: 2 min Want to know which AppArmor profiles the kernel is actually enforcing right now? Run `aa-status` or `apparmor_status` to get an immediate, human-readable overview that shows how many profiles are loaded and which are in enforce or complain mode. Quick live check Do this now: run `aa-status` to see a summary; a typical result looks like: "apparmor module is loaded; 12 profiles are in enforce mode; 3 profiles are in complain mode; 127 profiles are loaded; 5 processes are unconfined"; that single-line snapshot tells which protections are active at a glance. Map profiles to processes Find which profile a running process uses by checking its attr file, for example `cat /proc/1234/attr/current` will print the profile name or show "unconfined", and `aa-status` also lists processes grouped by profile, so use both to trace enforcement to the PID quickly. Modes, reloads and diagnostics Profiles run either in enforce or complain mode and you can switch them with `aa-enforce` or `aa-complain`; reload or parse profiles with `apparmor_parser` when you edit files under /etc/apparmor.d; when a denial occurs consult the audit logs or `dmesg` to see exact blocked syscalls and adjust the profile accordingly. Related service checks If `aa-status` is missing check the AppArmor service with `systemctl status apparmor` and confirm the LSM is enabled at boot; some distributions ship the helper `apparmor_status` while others rely on the `aa-*` utilities, so knowing both commands covers most environments. Where to go next Start by scanning a system, then practice switching a test profile between complain and enforce and observe the logs; mastering AppArmor profiling is practical security work and a useful skill for any Linux administrator, so consider deepening your knowledge and pursuing exams like CompTIA Linux+ or LPIC-1, with bitsandbytes.academy being an intensive exam preparation. Join Bits & Bytes Academy First class LINUX exam preparation. security utilities processes troubleshooting
