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

What’s that weird plus sign doing in your `ls -l`?

🧩 The Challenge

You’ve been there: you `chmod 777` a file or `chown` it to your app user, and your process *still* screams `Permission denied`. You stare at `ls -l` for ten minutes, everything looks perfect, but there’s this weird little `+` at the end of the permissions string that nobody ever told you about.

💡 The Fix

That `+` is your system’s subtle hint that Access Control Lists (ACLs) are in play, overriding or augmenting your basic `chmod` permissions. You’ve gotta use `getfacl` to see the actual permission rules that are mucking things up.

getfacl /var/www/html/app/config.php

⚙️ Why It Works

This command reveals the full, explicit permission entries, including any ACLs that the standard `ls -l` output completely hides from you. You might find a specific user or group is explicitly denied or allowed, totally outside your `chmod` settings.

🚀 Pro-Tip: If `ls -l` shows `+` and you’re pulling your hair out, that’s your first stop. Use `setfacl -b` on a file to blast all its ACLs away if you need a clean slate.

Linux Tips & Tricks | © ngelinux.com | 9/9/2026