Which commands will temporarily set SELinux to permissive mode and verify the current mode?

• A. setenforce 1; getenforce
• B. setenforce 0; sestatus
• C. setenforce permissive; getenforce
• D. setenforce 0; getenforce

Answer: (D)

When you want to quickly test how SELinux behaves in a less strict mode, you switch the mode temporarily and then confirm what mode is active. The command setenforce 0 immediately puts SELinux into Permissive mode. In Permissive mode, SELinux policy is not enforced, but violations are still logged, which is useful for troubleshooting without blocking operations. To verify the current mode, use getenforce, which prints the exact state: Enforcing, Permissive, or Disabled. After running setenforce 0, getenforce should display Permissive, confirming the change.

This combination is preferred because it directly performs the switch and then clearly reports the result. While you could use other commands like sestatus to view status, getenforce provides a concise, explicit answer about the active mode. Remember, this change is temporary and lasts until the next reboot or until you set a different mode. If you wanted a permanent change, you’d edit /etc/selinux/config and reboot.