rstchown

Description

Indicates whether the POSIX semantics for the chown system call are in effect. POSIX semantics are as follows:

• A process cannot change the owner of a file, unless it is running with UID 0.

• A process cannot change the group ownership of a file to a group in which it is not currently a member, unless it is running as UID 0.

For more information, see chown(2).

Data Type

Signed integer

Default

1, indicating that POSIX semantics are used

Range

0 = POSIX semantics not in force or 1 = POSIX semantics used

Units

Toggle (on/off)

Dynamic?

Yes

Validation

None

When to Change

When POSIX semantics are not wanted. Note that turning off POSIX semantics opens the potential for various security holes. Doing so also opens the possibility of a user changing ownership of a file to another user and being unable to retrieve the file without intervention from the user or the system administrator.

Commitment Level

Obsolete