the power of being root

Paul Sladen sounder at paul.sladen.org
Thu May 19 10:16:21 UTC 2005


On Tue, 17 May 2005, sn00bb0rn.linux gmail wrote:
> I am a newbie. I play with linux CLI now (using chmod and chown).

Please, DO NOT, use 'su'.

Under Ubuntu, we use 'sudo' for the odd occasion something scary needs to be
performed with higher privileges.

> My question is, is that a normal in *nix world ?

Perfectly.  Additionally, Microsoft operating systems either run in a fully
privileged mode 100% of the time, or have an account called 'Administrator'
that provides equivalent functionality.

> I imagine how powerfull an computer administrator of a company will be.
> [She/]He can read *all sensitive data* that beyond his level.

Correct, this is why people get paid to do this and without that power they
would not be about to fix much.

If need items to be only readable by yourself, we use 'encryption'.

	-Paul
-- 
It sometimes snows here.  London, GB






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