To What files root does not have access to??

Shell Programming and Scripting
1

Hi,

I just wanted to know to what files root does not have access, not even read....I read that .profile for any user is the only file which root cannot access is it true..??...If we have to use passwords and ID's in a script can we use them in .profile and call them as parameters..???

Thanks,

Girinath

2

No. root owns the system and can change protections on a file - any file.
Plus, root can can su - which means root can become any user temporarily, mess with the file, then revert back to root.

3

One exception is NFS mounted stuff. Root doesn't have access to files on an NFS mounted directory owned by others, unless it is specified in the mount options.

Of course, the trick above of doing an su to the userid that does own them and accessing them that way still works. I have to do that all the time at work since we automount user's home directories and I couldn't edit their login scripts as root.

4

Nuclear Weapons Controls on any country, nor Microsoft source files.