deleting another user's files

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1

hi, I have two users, let us call them A and B.

I do as User A

touch tmpfile
chmod 700 tmpfile

Now as User B I do rm tmpfile - and it allows me to do it (after prompting me)...why?

If I had done chmod 777 tmpfile, then sure User B should be able to delete it, but I did chmod 700 tmpfile, so why was User B allowed to delete?

Thanks.

2

Because whether or not you are allowed to delete a file depends on the rights (namely write) on the directory containing the file, not on the rights on the file itself. You can imagine a directory to be a file containing entries of the files in it.

3

In this case, what is the purpose to give rights directly to a file?

Thanks.

4

>In this case, what is the purpose to give rights directly to a file?

What is the "delete" right on a file?
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