UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Help!!

I am trying to give users the ability to manipulate a file via a script that was written but I don't want the users (group of Sterling) to have write permission (for fear that it'll get deleted by accident) when using regular shell commands. I'm thinking that this is accomplished via Sticky bits. I've searched the man pages along with my Unix in a nutshell book and can't really find what I'm looking for. I'm not sure if I put the sticky bit at the file, script or directory level or all of the above. Can you guys take a look and see what I'm doing wrong?

Additionally, I am on AIX 4.3 (if that makes a difference)

The file I am wanting to protect Except when they run the script:

-rw-r--r-- 1 cdunix sterling 34918 Apr 08 09:49 univfile

The permissions on that directory are:
drwxrws--- 2 cdunix sterling 512 Apr 08 10:18 flatfile


Current permissions of the script that the user would be running:

-rwSrwsrw- 1 cdunix sterling 9174 Apr 08 09:47 addchgdel.sh

The permissions on that directory are:
drwxr-sr-x 5 cdunix sterling 1536 Apr 08 10:07 utils


Thanks in advance for taking a look!

The only options that I can think of are:
a) make the file group writeable, in which case they could delete it using shell commands
or b) Make your script which manipulates the file SUID, and make the file mode 600. Drawback to this is that SUID scripts can be used to gain shell command access if not programmed extremely carefully. (make it SUID-cdunix not SUID-root)

There was a script recently posted that shows how to change the permissions only for execution of a script via SUID.

Do a search for stick bit or SUID or effective user. It was posted within the last 2 weeks.

Here it is. I found it.

https://www.unix.com/showthread.php?s...effective+user

In that post you will see that I was unaware that any Unix that would execute a SUID script as SUID. In that example though, the poster was on Solaris, where it did work.

A good way to not only give the user this ability, but also to track it, would be to use "sudo".

Also, the suid bit and the sticky bit are two different things. You want suid, not sticky.