zentara wrote:

On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 12:28:57 -0400 Mark Hounschell wrote:

...

I have a file -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 149811 2003-08-07 17:49 xx

As a regular user I edit the file. Make some changes and write it back. Now the file is -rw-r--r-- 1 markh users 149811 2003-08-27 12:23 xx

Am I missing something? Why was I able to write the file? Why was its owner and project changed from root to the users? Do the directory permissions override the file permissions? I must be missing something????

A user can COPY and edit and save a file owned by root, but the result is a file owned by the user. You didn't change root's file. You made a copy owned by you.

I must still be missing something. It is in fact the same file. It was owned by root now it is owned by markh?? I made no copy. It is the same file. Doesn't -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 149811 2003-08-07 17:49 xx mean it is owned by root? ??? Mark

On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 13:05:52 -0400 Mark Hounschell wrote:

zentara wrote:

...

On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 12:28:57 -0400 Mark Hounschell wrote:

...

I have a file -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 149811 2003-08-07 17:49 xx

As a regular user I edit the file. Make some changes and write it back. Now the file is -rw-r--r-- 1 markh users 149811 2003-08-27 12:23 xx

Am I missing something? Why was I able to write the file? Why was its owner and project changed from root to the users? Do the directory permissions override the file permissions? I must be missing something????

A user can COPY and edit and save a file owned by root, but the result is a file owned by the user. You didn't change root's file. You made a copy owned by you.

I must still be missing something. It is in fact the same file. It was owned by root now it is owned by markh?? I made no copy. It is the same file.

Doesn't -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 149811 2003-08-07 17:49 xx mean it is owned by root?

Yeah, but in your example above you say the file is: -rw-r--r-- 1 markh users 149811 2003-08-27 12:23 xx that is owned by you. You must be making a copy somehow. My machine will not let me do what you claim. If your system, lets you overwrite a root-owned file by a user, then you have a "hacked system", better reinstall. On my system, if I try to edit a root file as a user, when I try to save, it asks for a different filename, it won't overwrite the same file unless I own it. -- I'm not really a human, but I play one on earth.

Mark Hounschell wrote:

zentara wrote:

...

On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 12:28:57 -0400 Mark Hounschell wrote:

...

I have a file -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 149811 2003-08-07 17:49 xx

As a regular user I edit the file. Make some changes and write it back. Now the file is -rw-r--r-- 1 markh users 149811 2003-08-27 12:23 xx

Am I missing something? Why was I able to write the file? Why was its owner and project changed from root to the users? Do the directory permissions override the file permissions? I must be missing something????

Ok let me clearify exactly what to do to see this "anomaly" In your home directory, as you (markh) create a file. touch /home/markh/xx then: ls -al /home/markh/xx -rw-r--r-- 1 markh users 0 2003-08-27 12:23 /home/markh/xx Ok the file is owned by me... then as root: chown root /home/markh/xx chgrp root /home/markh/xx then ^d to leave root then ls -al /home/markh/xx -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 0 2003-08-27 12:23 /home/markh/xx Ok the file is now owned by root no? Now as user (markh) use vi to edit the file. enter some text and write it back. You will have to use :w! command. The write should fail but does not. The file is now owned by markh again. ls -al /home/markh/xx -rw-r--r-- 1 markh users 22 2003-08-27 15:12 /home/markh/xx And no my machine has not been hacked. Also I have 3 machines here now and more at work all running 8.2 that do the same thing. ?????? Still confused Mark

I followed Mark's instructions and had the same result he did. As you say, vi says the file is opened "readonly". However, within vi, when I press "i" to insert, vi then says, "W10: Warning: Changing a readonly file". Then when I do ":w!", it writes it out, changing the ownership in the process. Did you go so far as to actually try to write it out??? Rick On Wed, 2003-08-27 at 16:18, zentara wrote:

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Now as user (markh) use vi to edit the file. enter some text and write it back. You will have to use :w! command. The write should fail but does not.

This is where my machine differs. My file is now owned by root:root, and if I open it with vi as user zentara:user, vi says it is opened "readonly". "zz" [readonly] 0L, 0C

The only thing I can think is happening is that you may still be in the root shell when you start vi. I would be very unhappy if my system did what your's is doing. I can see why you are baffled.

I'm using fvwm2, maybe some others can test your procedure, but I'm afraid they will get the same results as me.

Something has got to be wrong in your system. I would guess that markh is in the /etc/sudoers listed as root for vi.

Fascinating. I just followed your instructions below and... sure enough... the same thing happened. It DOES indeed overwrite and change ownership of the pre-existing file! That does not make me happy! Rick On Wed, 2003-08-27 at 15:16, Mark Hounschell wrote:

Ok let me clearify exactly what to do to see this "anomaly"

In your home directory, as you (markh) create a file.

touch /home/markh/xx

then: ls -al /home/markh/xx -rw-r--r-- 1 markh users 0 2003-08-27 12:23 /home/markh/xx Ok the file is owned by me...

then as root: chown root /home/markh/xx chgrp root /home/markh/xx then ^d to leave root

then ls -al /home/markh/xx -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 0 2003-08-27 12:23 /home/markh/xx

Ok the file is now owned by root no?

Now as user (markh) use vi to edit the file. enter some text and write it back. You will have to use :w! command. The write should fail but does not.

The file is now owned by markh again.

ls -al /home/markh/xx -rw-r--r-- 1 markh users 22 2003-08-27 15:12 /home/markh/xx