Permission Problems

[eonl]

Quite shocked by the following(!) Not sure if anyone else has had a similar problem/solution:

I discovered this as I needed a password protected directory on my desktop so created a one with root and changed the permissions so not other user had read/write access.

Next I changed my root password. Then when I right clicked on the folder and selected 'open as administrator' it would not take my new root password only the old one. I tried this again but with /root. Same thing - I can open the and view the contents of the root folder with the old root password.

I've tried restarting/logging out so gnome forgets the permissions and still the same problem.

I was using Mint 10 Julia with gnome and have just installed Mint 12 Gnome to see if there are still the same problems (which there are).

Any suggestions very welcome!

Thanks

[xenopeek]

Just to be clear, how did you change your root password?

[eonl]

Hey, thanks for the reply - I changed my root password using 'passwd' from the command line

[SimonTS]

'passwd' is a command, but it is context dependent. Were you using the normal user-level console, or did you run it as root? Did you run the command on its own, or with 'sudo'? Are you sure that it was the root account password you actually changed?

If you want some more information on the passwords (without having to read the 'man' pages, which should be your first stop), have a look at the very useful and precise information in this thread;-
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=92857&start=0

Thanks to doktornotor...

[eonl]

I have had a look through that thread and it doesn't seem to be an issue with 'passwd'.

I typed the command through a terminal window in gnome (logged in as normal user). I su'd to root then issued the command 'passwd'. I did check it was root's password I had changed by ctrl+alt+f2 and logging in as root.

Slightly worrying that root's password was changed but however gnome access/stores this - is not updated.........?

[xenopeek]

Then when I right clicked on the folder and selected 'open as administrator' it would not take my new root password only the old one. I tried this again but with /root. Same thing - I can open the and view the contents of the root folder with the old root password.

Doh! Have another look at what it is asking you in that password pop-up It is asking "Enter your password to perform administrative tasks"... Sorry for missing that in your question earlier, but you don't enter root's password to perform administrative tasks, you enter your password...

[eonl]

Thanks for pointing that out.

Would have thought administrator things required an administrator password (eg. like software manager).

Is this not a huge security hole? What is the point of having a root user....pretty sure I could do whatever I wanted just getting around this way...(and same if I was logged in as another user)

[xenopeek]

Is this not a huge security hole? What is the point of having a root user....pretty sure I could do whatever I wanted just getting around this way...(and same if I was logged in as another user)

Erm, no? Only users who are member of the admin group can do this (by default only the account created during installation), and each time you ask for temporary superusers priviliges, you have to confirm with your personal password. Software Manager also asks for your password; there isn't an application you are using that asks for the root user's password...