Permissions & Security (Chmod/Chown/ACLs/SELinux/AppArmor)

Stop hunting for sticky bits causing your file access headaches

🧩 The Challenge

You know that feeling when a user swears they have write access to a directory, but they can’t delete a file owned by someone else? It’s usually because the sticky bit is hiding in plain sight and ruining your morning.

💡 The Fix

Use find to hunt down those directories with the sticky bit set or just check them specifically with ls. It saves you from guessing why files won’t budge.

find /var/shared/data -type d -perm -1000 -ls

⚙️ Why It Works

Adding that 1000 flag to the octal search tells find to look exclusively for the restricted deletion flag. It cuts through the noise of standard directory listings instantly.

🚀 Pro-Tip: Run this with sudo to avoid permission denied errors on restricted subdirectories.

Linux Tips & Tricks | © ngelinux.com | 10/25/2026