Basic Unix Tutorial - The Diigo Meta page

• 20 Nov 06
  

  Graham Perrin

  directory home permissions privileges security unix Mac OS X 2006

  • You own your own home directory, and, by default, this is set so that
    you can read, write, and execute it and everyone else can read and execute
    it. The default for files inside your home directory is for you to read
    and write them and everyone else to read them. If you want, you can use
    chmod to change the protection on your home directory so that "others"
    cannot read or execute your home directory, but this is not encouraged.
    It is better to change the protection on individual files. If you do change
    the protection on your home directory, you should maintain "execute" priviledge
    for "others". This will not allow people to see the contents of your directory,
    but it will allow some utilities like finger to work properly.
  • under default protection,
    anyone on the system may read any file (except for mail files), whether
    or not it is in their home directory, though only the actual owner of
    the file may alter it. Directories are also, as a rule, open: others may
    list the files in or connect to (though not alter) most directories.

Page Comments

• 
  Graham Perrin on 2006-11-20
  The top level ~/ of one's home directory is visible to anyone on the system.
• 
  Graham Perrin on 2006-11-20
  In Mac OS X, for example: to maintain privacy for your documents you should save them to ~/Documents

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