I dug myself a hole yesterday that I can't seem to get myself out of.

In a very futile attempt to create a new FTP user with limited access via SSH, I inadvertently changed permissions for who knows what and now I am having a problem accessing password protected directories. When I enter the correct credentials, the log-in prompt keeps coming up each time I click the "OK" button.

I'm sure a lot more information is required to assist me with this problem, but being a newbie, I'm not sure where to begin.

Below is the bash history of what I did, but if anyone can lend a hand, just let me know what information is required in order to help me reverse the problem.

Thanks in advance!

  id root
  ndn
  user ndn
  id ndn
  /usr/sbin/useradd -u 10076 -o -d /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com/custom_folder -g psacln -s /bin/false/ diva
  rockinrobin diva
  passwd diva
  id diva
  id ndn
  id ndn
  /usr/sbin/useradd -u 10076 -o -d /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com -g psacln -s /bin/false diva
  passwd diva
  useradd diva
  groupadd diva
  gpasswd -a diva diva
  chgrp -R groupnam /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  chgrp -R diva /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  chmod -R g+rw /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  chgrp -R root /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  chmod -R g+rw /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  sudo deluser diva
  chgrp -R owner /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  chown user:root /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  chown root /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  chown -R root *
  deluser diva
  groupdel diva
  userdel diva
  id diva
  chmod -R g-rw /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  chgrp -R root /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  chmod +R g+rw /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  chmod g+rw /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  chmod -R g-rw /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  id root
  chgrp -R root /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  chmod -R g-rw /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  chmod 2775 /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  chown root:root /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  chmod -R g-rw/var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  chmod -R g-rw /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  chmod 2775 /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  ls -l
  chmod -R g+r /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com
  ls -alh
  cd mysite.com

this isn't particularly easy to follow. perhaps the output of ls -alh /var/www/vhosts/mysite.com . but likely you mean accessing folders via web-server, which sees .htpasswd but cannot read it. ensure the user/group which runs your httpd has permission to read it. sometimes this is user 'apache' or 'www-data'

edit: seems you changed to root:root, but only used recursive for the group, which you set g+r.. same with the 2755, wasn't done recursively (i believe new files would inherit group, but not your old ones). but probably your webserver isn't ran a root, i hope. so probably chgrp -R to correct group for webserver.