changing all files owned by root and assigned to other user

**adamof99** · 10-11-2008

I am trying to create a bash script that will automatically find all the files owned by Root user (or any other user) and changed the ownership of these files to an other user.
Is there is anybody who knows how to do this and can help?

Thanks,

oz · 10-11-2008

Welcome to the forums!

Just curious... what would be the purpose for this script?

**raphi078** · 10-12-2008

you can do this with 'find', you will find with google a lot of help here, the syntax isn't present at the moment, watch -exec... in conjunction with find...

**adamof99** · 10-12-2008

Originally Posted by ozar

Welcome to the forums!

Just curious... what would be the purpose for this script?

the purpose of this script is just to automate changing the ownership of files by using bash script.
Do you know how to do it?

**MikeTbob** · 10-12-2008

I don't know the answer to your question but I'm with ozar on this one because I think I know where he is going with this. Why would you want to change any file owned by root? Did you know that you can really truly hose your system if you did this? It sounds pretty hardcore to me, even malicious.

oz · 10-12-2008

Originally Posted by adamof99

the purpose of this script is just to automate changing the ownership of files by using bash script.

Yeah, that's what you said in your original post. I'm just wondering why a script that can do this would be needed?

**adamof99** · 10-12-2008

Originally Posted by MikeTbob

I don't know the answer to your question but I'm with ozar on this one because I think I know where he is going with this. Why would you want to change any file owned by root? Did you know that you can really truly hose your system if you did this? It sounds pretty hardcore to me, even malicious.

OK, forget about Root.
How can you change all files owned by user1 and assigne the ownership to user2?

I used root just an example, it could be any user

**wje_lf** · 10-12-2008

(sigh)

I'm guessing this guy's legit, and he'll soon find a way anyway. So:

Code:

find topdirectoryname -user fred -exec chown barney '{}' \;

Or, if you wish to change also the group name of the file's ownership to match the new user name, find the new user's group name and plug it into this:

Code:

find topdirectoryname -user fred -exec chown barney:barneygroup '{}' \;

And I stress this advice previously given by MikeTbob about doing this for files currently owned by root:

Did you know that you can really truly hose your system if you did this?

Another caution: Not only will this change the files under the specified directory, but it will change the directory itself, if the ownership matches.

Hope this helps. Use this power not for evil, but for good.

**adamof99** · 10-12-2008

Originally Posted by wje_lf

(sigh)

I'm guessing this guy's legit, and he'll soon find a way anyway. So:

Code:

find topdirectoryname -user fred -exec chown barney '{}' \;

Or, if you wish to change also the group name of the file's ownership to match the new user name, find the new user's group name and plug it into this:

Code:

find topdirectoryname -user fred -exec chown barney:barneygroup '{}' \;

And I stress this advice previously given by MikeTbob about doing this for files currently owned by root:

Another caution: Not only will this change the files under the specified directory, but it will change the directory itself, if the ownership matches.

Hope this helps. Use this power not for evil, but for good.

Thanks wje_lf, Mike and thanks all
I am using this on my own test system and it's for Good of course

Thread Tools

Display

changing all files owned by root and assigned to other user

just to change an ownership of files automatically

Forget aboub Root

Thanks

Posting Permissions