The article introduces the 'Security's Moving Parts' series, focusing on the intricacies of access control mechanisms in Unix/Linux systems. It begins by addressing how file permissions are represented and handled within the operating system via the Virtual File System (VFS), which provides a unified interface to various file systems. Crucial structures like inodes, dentries, and file states are outlined, explaining their roles in managing file metadata and ensuring secure access management. The aim is to offer a deeper understanding of the underlying processes that drive these security features.
The implementation of access control mechanisms in Unix/Linux is crucial to understanding how our operating systems secure files and directories through user permissions.
The Virtual File System (VFS) in Linux acts as an abstraction layer that standardizes interactions with various file systems, enabling seamless operations.
Inodes contain essential metadata for each file or directory including size, ownership details, permissions, and pointers to the data blocks on the disk.
Access control in Unix/Linux is fundamentally founded on the abstraction of permissions, represented as RWX (read, write, execute) for files and directories.
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