Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1a 12/4/83; site rlgvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!rlgvax!guy From: guy@rlgvax.UUCP (Guy Harris) Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards Subject: Re: /usr/spool/mail: 0777 or 0755? Message-ID: <1716@rlgvax.UUCP> Date: Fri, 17-Feb-84 00:52:09 EST Article-I.D.: rlgvax.1716 Posted: Fri Feb 17 00:52:09 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 18-Feb-84 03:38:56 EST References: <2926@yale-com.UUCP> Organization: CCI Office Systems Group, Reston, VA Lines: 18 > We run a 4.1bsd system, and have recently been having a discussion > about mailbox protection. One suggestion was that /usr/spool/mail should > be writable only by root. . . . > 2) What other effects (good or bad) are caused by not having > /usr/spool/mail world-writable? Well, the mailbox locking protocol requires the mail reader to be able to create directory entries in /usr/spool/mail, which is a botch and causes the mail readers to spend several seconds trying fruitlessly to lock the mailboxes when entered if /usr/spool/mail isn't world-writable. Guy Harris {seismo,ihnp4,allegra}!rlgvax!guy