Fixing chmod -R 777 /

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Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 8

Situation

root user run the chmod -R 777 / command and all file permissions for the entire system have read/write/execute for every user.

***Note: Never run this command***

Resolution

There are two options to fix this issue:

Reinstall - Copy off all pertinent data and then wipe the drive and reinstall with an up to date version of SLE.
Restore - Restore from a full system backup taken before the change was made.

Cause

The command chmod -R 777 / makes every single file on the system under / (root) have rwxrwxrwx permissions. This is equivalent to allowing ALL users read/write/execute permissions. If other directories such as home, media, etc are under root then those will be affected as well. This causes a very large security hole for the entire system and should be fixed immediately.

Disclaimer

This Support Knowledgebase provides a valuable tool for SUSE customers and parties interested in our products and solutions to acquire information, ideas and learn from one another. Materials are provided for informational, personal or non-commercial use within your organization and are presented "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.