Reading what should not!

[Larry Hall (Cygwin)]

On 09/13/2009 10:04 AM, Angelo Graziosi wrote:
> Just a curiosity... (I have seen th following on Cygwin-1.7, but perhaps
> it happens also on 1.5)
>
> Suppose that there are two users: the administrator (root) and a simple
> user (pippo). Suppose that 'pippo' has a file 'foo.txt' with permissions:
>
> rw-------
>
> Why 'root' can read 'foo.txt'? For example with
>
> root@PC~
> $ less /home/pippo/foo.txt
>
> On GNU/Linux, the same command (or with 'sudo') asks for pippo's
> password! (Which looks right to me)
>
> Trying to read the same file as 'root', but with Windows applications
> (Notepad, for example), fails: one gets 'Access denied' (also if foo.txt
> is copied in the 'root' HOME or /tmp, as pippo's file rw-------). Even
> this looks right to me...

We've been through this before as recently as the last couple of weeks.
This is new behavior with 1.7 and it's there to mimic what one sees in
Linux.  I can't reproduce your reported results in Fedora 8.  For me, if I
am 'root', I can see the contents of 'foo.txt' just fine with the permissions
you have set on it.

-- 
Larry Hall                              http://www.rfk.com
RFK Partners, Inc.                      (508) 893-9779 - RFK Office
216 Dalton Rd.                          (508) 893-9889 - FAX
Holliston, MA 01746

_____________________________________________________________________

A: Yes.
 > Q: Are you sure?
 >> A: Because it reverses the logical flow of conversation.
 >>> Q: Why is top posting annoying in email?

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