I am a noober but what my mistake here at home was copy an openSUSE12.3 iso image to my primary harddisk instead of the thumb drive which was intended. > From: tclug-list-request at mn-linux.org > Subject: tclug-list Digest, Vol 101, Issue 21 > To: tclug-list at mn-linux.org > Date: Sat, 18 May 2013 14:53:19 -0500 > > Send tclug-list mailing list submissions to > tclug-list at mn-linux.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > tclug-list-request at mn-linux.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > tclug-list-owner at mn-linux.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of tclug-list digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. worst Linux/UNIX command line mistake, ever (Mike Miller) > 2. Re: worst Linux/UNIX command line mistake, ever (Justin Krejci) > 3. Re: worst Linux/UNIX command line mistake, ever (Josh More) > 4. Re: worst Linux/UNIX command line mistake, ever (Andrew Berg) > 5. Re: worst Linux/UNIX command line mistake, ever (Michael Greenly) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Sat, 18 May 2013 12:22:14 -0500 (CDT) > From: Mike Miller <mbmiller+l at gmail.com> > To: TCLUG List <tclug-list at mn-linux.org> > Subject: [tclug-list] worst Linux/UNIX command line mistake, ever > Message-ID: <alpine.DEB.2.00.1305181214520.26110 at taxa.psych.umn.edu> > Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed > > I have a few users on a box at work. Some are not active. I'm also about > to move everything to a new machine. > > This is the stupid thing I did. The hard drive was full so I needed to > make some space. I copied files from /home/marc to another machine and > then was going to remove /home/marc. So I did this... > > cd /home/marc > sudo rm -rf * <-- that would have been OK, but I killed that command > cd .. > sudo rm -rf marc <-- what I intended to do, which would have been fine > sudo rm -rf * <-- what I did instead > > That would have wiped every file out of /home if I hadn't realized almost > instantly what I had done. So I hit Ctrl-C a couple of times fast and > looked at the damage. Nothing was lost except for all of the files for > the user whose name was first in alphabetical order. All 858 MB of files. > > Luckily, this user was probably just using the account to transfer files > between other machines on a firewalled network, so it might not be a big > deal, but I'm not sure. > > I consider myself lucky that I stopped it quickly, but that doesn't help > him because his files are all gone. > > Yikes. I'll bet you know you should be careful with this command: > > sudo rm -rf * > > That's like the most dangerous command there is, except maybe for this > one: > > sudo rm -rf /* > > But we don't use that command in real life, just a joke for noobs. > > Mike > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Sat, 18 May 2013 12:43:04 -0500 > From: Justin Krejci <jus at krytosvirus.com> > To: tclug-list at mn-linux.org > Subject: Re: [tclug-list] worst Linux/UNIX command line mistake, ever > Message-ID: <2wlrve5dltvwevpf20ma21k3.1368898984755 at email.android.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > The glory of sudo allows you to granularly deny certain uses of commands mixed with certain arguments/options. I am sure I read a document online a few years back on the subject of safe sudo practices. I had developed a nice sudoers file for use on an email server system shortly after a colleague accidentally ran a similar command at the root level of the mailbox directory.? > > -------- Original message -------- > From: Mike Miller <mbmiller+l at gmail.com> > Date: > To: TCLUG List <tclug-list at mn-linux.org> > Subject: [tclug-list] worst Linux/UNIX command line mistake, ever > > I have a few users on a box at work.? Some are not active.? I'm also about > to move everything to a new machine. > > This is the stupid thing I did.? The hard drive was full so I needed to > make some space.? I copied files from /home/marc to another machine and > then was going to remove /home/marc.? So I did this... > > cd /home/marc > sudo rm -rf *? <-- that would have been OK, but I killed that command > cd .. > sudo rm -rf marc? <-- what I intended to do, which would have been fine > sudo rm -rf *? <-- what I did instead > > That would have wiped every file out of /home if I hadn't realized almost > instantly what I had done.? So I hit Ctrl-C a couple of times fast and > looked at the damage.? Nothing was lost except for all of the files for > the user whose name was first in alphabetical order.? All 858 MB of files. > > Luckily, this user was probably just using the account to transfer files > between other machines on a firewalled network, so it might not be a big > deal, but I'm not sure. > > I consider myself lucky that I stopped it quickly, but that doesn't help > him because his files are all gone. > > Yikes.? I'll bet you know you should be careful with this command: > > sudo rm -rf * > > That's like the most dangerous command there is, except maybe for this > one: > > sudo rm -rf /* > > But we don't use that command in real life, just a joke for noobs. > > Mike > _______________________________________________ > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > tclug-list at mn-linux.org > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: <http://mailman.mn-linux.org/pipermail/tclug-list/attachments/20130518/92b98ed4/attachment-0001.html> > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Sat, 18 May 2013 12:28:01 -0500 > From: Josh More <jmore at starmind.org> > To: TCLUG Mailing List <tclug-list at mn-linux.org> > Subject: Re: [tclug-list] worst Linux/UNIX command line mistake, ever > Message-ID: > <CAB3GUt_GKD=OXJoXdry8HyLxGhff7dx58nvQUad=pzkAoOH87g at mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > On VMS, you can configure a system to make auto-backups. It does this by > placing a semicolon at the end of each file and having a number increment > each time the file is saved. Thus, you can get listings like: > > thesis.txt;1 > thesis.txt;2 > thesis.txt;3 > joke.txt;1 > paper.doc;1 > paper.doc;2 > > While in college, I was working the lab and a user came in asking for help > with his account. It was full and he couldn't save the latest revision of > his paper. I was already working two calls, so when he asked "how do I > remove files from my account", I answered without thinking: " DELETE *.*;* > " > > In about twenty seconds, I realized my mistake, but the damage was done. > His files were all gone, during finals week, and I didn't have access to > the backup system to restore them. > > Oops. > > -Josh > > > > > > > > On Sat, May 18, 2013 at 12:22 PM, Mike Miller <mbmiller+l at gmail.com> wrote: > > > I have a few users on a box at work. Some are not active. I'm also about > > to move everything to a new machine. > > > > This is the stupid thing I did. The hard drive was full so I needed to > > make some space. I copied files from /home/marc to another machine and > > then was going to remove /home/marc. So I did this... > > > > cd /home/marc > > sudo rm -rf * <-- that would have been OK, but I killed that command > > cd .. > > sudo rm -rf marc <-- what I intended to do, which would have been fine > > sudo rm -rf * <-- what I did instead > > > > That would have wiped every file out of /home if I hadn't realized almost > > instantly what I had done. So I hit Ctrl-C a couple of times fast and > > looked at the damage. Nothing was lost except for all of the files for the > > user whose name was first in alphabetical order. All 858 MB of files. > > > > Luckily, this user was probably just using the account to transfer files > > between other machines on a firewalled network, so it might not be a big > > deal, but I'm not sure. > > > > I consider myself lucky that I stopped it quickly, but that doesn't help > > him because his files are all gone. > > > > Yikes. I'll bet you know you should be careful with this command: > > > > sudo rm -rf * > > > > That's like the most dangerous command there is, except maybe for this one: > > > > sudo rm -rf /* > > > > But we don't use that command in real life, just a joke for noobs. > > > > Mike > > ______________________________**_________________ > > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > > tclug-list at mn-linux.org > > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/**mailman/listinfo/tclug-list<http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list> > > > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: <http://mailman.mn-linux.org/pipermail/tclug-list/attachments/20130518/e143492d/attachment-0001.html> > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Sat, 18 May 2013 13:12:09 -0500 > From: Andrew Berg <bahamutzero8825 at gmail.com> > To: Justin Krejci <jus at krytosvirus.com>, TCLUG Mailing List > <tclug-list at mn-linux.org> > Subject: Re: [tclug-list] worst Linux/UNIX command line mistake, ever > Message-ID: <5197C479.1000101 at gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 > > On 2013.05.18 12:43, Justin Krejci wrote: > > The glory of sudo allows you to granularly deny certain uses of commands mixed with certain arguments/options. I am sure I read a document > > online a few years back on the subject of safe sudo practices. I had developed a nice sudoers file for use on an email server system shortly > > after a colleague accidentally ran a similar command at the root level of the mailbox directory. > This is really the whole point of sudo, and it's nice to see someone using it properly. Why some people think it's a good idea to use it to > grant a user full root access still escapes me. It seems like a great tool intended to greatly enhance security is now being used mostly to > degrade it. > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 5 > Date: Sat, 18 May 2013 14:52:50 -0500 > From: Michael Greenly <mgreenly at gmail.com> > To: TCLUG Mailing List <tclug-list at mn-linux.org> > Subject: Re: [tclug-list] worst Linux/UNIX command line mistake, ever > Message-ID: > <CAChQk+OqMgYZDZTAoBXPuCCdV7OF607r-HwrAYubL5boeL_w_w at mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > I've certainly had near close calls like that myself. Reading this is > making me consider using zfs (or maybe btrfs) on everything except /boot > just for the convenience of easy snapshots. A quick snapshot before > potentially destructive actions would be an easy habit to get into. > > > On Sat, May 18, 2013 at 1:12 PM, Andrew Berg <bahamutzero8825 at gmail.com>wrote: > > > On 2013.05.18 12:43, Justin Krejci wrote: > > > The glory of sudo allows you to granularly deny certain uses of commands > > mixed with certain arguments/options. I am sure I read a document > > > online a few years back on the subject of safe sudo practices. I had > > developed a nice sudoers file for use on an email server system shortly > > > after a colleague accidentally ran a similar command at the root level > > of the mailbox directory. > > This is really the whole point of sudo, and it's nice to see someone using > > it properly. Why some people think it's a good idea to use it to > > grant a user full root access still escapes me. It seems like a great tool > > intended to greatly enhance security is now being used mostly to > > degrade it. > > _______________________________________________ > > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > > tclug-list at mn-linux.org > > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > > > > > > -- > Michael Greenly > http://logic-refinery.com > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: <http://mailman.mn-linux.org/pipermail/tclug-list/attachments/20130518/2b1848ad/attachment.html> > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > tclug-list at mn-linux.org > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > > End of tclug-list Digest, Vol 101, Issue 21 > ******************************************* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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