asecurityguru.comarticleFilesystems and File Permissions Explained
Explainer on how Unix-like filesystems enforce security through owner/group/other permissions, inodes, hard links, directory execute-bit semantics, the sticky bit, and APFS copy-on-write snapshots. It ties these to real risks: 777 permissions exposing PII, world-readable config files leaking database credentials, world-writable directories allowing script replacement, and permission misconfigurations enabling privilege escalation. It recommends least privilege, ACLs, and regular entitlement reviews.
TL;DR Beginner-level primer on Unix file permissions, inodes, hard links and the sticky bit, and how misconfigured permissions (777, world-writable) lead to data exposure and privilege escalation.
Technologies named here
- Linux
- chmod
- chown
- macOS
- chgrp
- Windows
- Access Control Lists
- AWS IAM Access Analyzer
- Oracle Access Governance
- Sticky bit
- APFS
Techniques named here
- Privilege escalation via file permission misconfigurations
- Principle of Least Privilege
- Privilege escalation
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