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4

I found the /etc/alternatives/awk file, and when I got a long list of it's details I got:

$ ls -l /etc/alternatives/awk
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 13 Jan 22 2017 /etc/alternatives/awk -> /usr/bin/gawk*

So it's a link and has write access to others, so I tried this:

$ echo hi > /etc/alternatives/awk
bash: /etc/alternatives/awk: Permission denied

And then:

$ cp /bin/ls /etc/alternatives/awk
cp: unwritable '/etc/alternatives/awk' (mode 0755, rwxr-xr-x); try anyway? y
cp: cannot create regular file '/etc/alternatives/awk': Permission denied

How is that possible?

_{I know I'm a normal user, but I have write access to this file!}

bash permissions symbolic-link

share|improve this question

asked Jul 31 at 9:06

Mohammad KholghiMohammad Kholghi

31122 silver badges1212 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  4
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Possible duplicate of Is it possible to change the permissions for the symbolic link?
  
  – vidarlo
  Jul 31 at 10:04
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @vidarlo my question was not about "how to change a symbolic link permission", it was about "i can't change a file permission", then I understood because it is a sym-link and it points to another file owned by root.
  
  – Mohammad Kholghi
  Jul 31 at 18:57
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

4

I found the /etc/alternatives/awk file, and when I got a long list of it's details I got:

$ ls -l /etc/alternatives/awk
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 13 Jan 22 2017 /etc/alternatives/awk -> /usr/bin/gawk*

So it's a link and has write access to others, so I tried this:

$ echo hi > /etc/alternatives/awk
bash: /etc/alternatives/awk: Permission denied

And then:

$ cp /bin/ls /etc/alternatives/awk
cp: unwritable '/etc/alternatives/awk' (mode 0755, rwxr-xr-x); try anyway? y
cp: cannot create regular file '/etc/alternatives/awk': Permission denied

How is that possible?

_{I know I'm a normal user, but I have write access to this file!}

bash permissions symbolic-link

share|improve this question

asked Jul 31 at 9:06

Mohammad KholghiMohammad Kholghi

31122 silver badges1212 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  4
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Possible duplicate of Is it possible to change the permissions for the symbolic link?
  
  – vidarlo
  Jul 31 at 10:04
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @vidarlo my question was not about "how to change a symbolic link permission", it was about "i can't change a file permission", then I understood because it is a sym-link and it points to another file owned by root.
  
  – Mohammad Kholghi
  Jul 31 at 18:57
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

I found the /etc/alternatives/awk file, and when I got a long list of it's details I got:

$ ls -l /etc/alternatives/awk
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 13 Jan 22 2017 /etc/alternatives/awk -> /usr/bin/gawk*

So it's a link and has write access to others, so I tried this:

$ echo hi > /etc/alternatives/awk
bash: /etc/alternatives/awk: Permission denied

And then:

$ cp /bin/ls /etc/alternatives/awk
cp: unwritable '/etc/alternatives/awk' (mode 0755, rwxr-xr-x); try anyway? y
cp: cannot create regular file '/etc/alternatives/awk': Permission denied

How is that possible?

_{I know I'm a normal user, but I have write access to this file!}

bash permissions symbolic-link

share|improve this question

asked Jul 31 at 9:06

Mohammad KholghiMohammad Kholghi

31122 silver badges1212 bronze badges

$ ls -l /etc/alternatives/awk
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 13 Jan 22 2017 /etc/alternatives/awk -> /usr/bin/gawk*

$ echo hi > /etc/alternatives/awk
bash: /etc/alternatives/awk: Permission denied

$ cp /bin/ls /etc/alternatives/awk
cp: unwritable '/etc/alternatives/awk' (mode 0755, rwxr-xr-x); try anyway? y
cp: cannot create regular file '/etc/alternatives/awk': Permission denied

share|improve this question

asked Jul 31 at 9:06

Mohammad KholghiMohammad Kholghi

31122 silver badges1212 bronze badges

share|improve this question

asked Jul 31 at 9:06

Mohammad KholghiMohammad Kholghi

31122 silver badges1212 bronze badges

asked Jul 31 at 9:06

Mohammad KholghiMohammad Kholghi

31122 silver badges1212 bronze badges

asked Jul 31 at 9:06

Mohammad KholghiMohammad Kholghi

31122 silver badges1212 bronze badges

1 Answer
1

active

oldest

votes

8

No, you don't have permissions to write to the file. It's the symbolic link which has rwx-permissions for everyone, but you don't write to the link, you write to the file the link points to.

$ ls -l /etc/alternatives/awk
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 13 Apr 28 2018 /etc/alternatives/awk -> /usr/bin/gawk

You can see the link points to /usr/bin/gawk, so look at it's permissions:

$ ls -l /usr/bin/gawk
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 658072 Feb 11 2018 /usr/bin/gawk

/user/bin/gawk is owned by root and only root has write permissions,
that's why you get Permission denied.

share|improve this answer

answered Jul 31 at 9:30

mook765mook765

5,60622 gold badges1515 silver badges3636 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Yes. Symlinks always have 777 but that's not considered anyways when accessing the underlying file. Only the permissions and ownership of the target matter.
  
  – PerlDuck
  Jul 31 at 9:33
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Also try ls -l -L /etc/alternatives/awk to directly see the information of the target (size, ownership, ...) instead of of the symlink.
  
  – PerlDuck
  Jul 31 at 9:43
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

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8

No, you don't have permissions to write to the file. It's the symbolic link which has rwx-permissions for everyone, but you don't write to the link, you write to the file the link points to.

$ ls -l /etc/alternatives/awk
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 13 Apr 28 2018 /etc/alternatives/awk -> /usr/bin/gawk

You can see the link points to /usr/bin/gawk, so look at it's permissions:

$ ls -l /usr/bin/gawk
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 658072 Feb 11 2018 /usr/bin/gawk

/user/bin/gawk is owned by root and only root has write permissions,
that's why you get Permission denied.

share|improve this answer

answered Jul 31 at 9:30

mook765mook765

5,60622 gold badges1515 silver badges3636 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Yes. Symlinks always have 777 but that's not considered anyways when accessing the underlying file. Only the permissions and ownership of the target matter.
  
  – PerlDuck
  Jul 31 at 9:33
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Also try ls -l -L /etc/alternatives/awk to directly see the information of the target (size, ownership, ...) instead of of the symlink.
  
  – PerlDuck
  Jul 31 at 9:43
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

8

No, you don't have permissions to write to the file. It's the symbolic link which has rwx-permissions for everyone, but you don't write to the link, you write to the file the link points to.

$ ls -l /etc/alternatives/awk
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 13 Apr 28 2018 /etc/alternatives/awk -> /usr/bin/gawk

You can see the link points to /usr/bin/gawk, so look at it's permissions:

$ ls -l /usr/bin/gawk
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 658072 Feb 11 2018 /usr/bin/gawk

/user/bin/gawk is owned by root and only root has write permissions,
that's why you get Permission denied.

share|improve this answer

answered Jul 31 at 9:30

mook765mook765

5,60622 gold badges1515 silver badges3636 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Yes. Symlinks always have 777 but that's not considered anyways when accessing the underlying file. Only the permissions and ownership of the target matter.
  
  – PerlDuck
  Jul 31 at 9:33
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Also try ls -l -L /etc/alternatives/awk to directly see the information of the target (size, ownership, ...) instead of of the symlink.
  
  – PerlDuck
  Jul 31 at 9:43
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

No, you don't have permissions to write to the file. It's the symbolic link which has rwx-permissions for everyone, but you don't write to the link, you write to the file the link points to.

$ ls -l /etc/alternatives/awk
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 13 Apr 28 2018 /etc/alternatives/awk -> /usr/bin/gawk

You can see the link points to /usr/bin/gawk, so look at it's permissions:

$ ls -l /usr/bin/gawk
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 658072 Feb 11 2018 /usr/bin/gawk

/user/bin/gawk is owned by root and only root has write permissions,
that's why you get Permission denied.

share|improve this answer

answered Jul 31 at 9:30

mook765mook765

5,60622 gold badges1515 silver badges3636 bronze badges

$ ls -l /etc/alternatives/awk
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 13 Apr 28 2018 /etc/alternatives/awk -> /usr/bin/gawk

$ ls -l /usr/bin/gawk
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 658072 Feb 11 2018 /usr/bin/gawk

share|improve this answer

answered Jul 31 at 9:30

mook765mook765

5,60622 gold badges1515 silver badges3636 bronze badges

answered Jul 31 at 9:30

mook765mook765

5,60622 gold badges1515 silver badges3636 bronze badges

answered Jul 31 at 9:30

mook765mook765

5,60622 gold badges1515 silver badges3636 bronze badges