What it means
Permission models differ across platforms, but the core security questions are ownership, inheritance, effective access, administrative override, auditing, and protection of sensitive locations.
Why it matters
Weak file permissions can expose credentials, configuration, personal data, application code, and evidence even when network controls are strong.
Practical focus
- Assign ownership to accountable users or services
- Grant access through groups rather than one-off entries
- Review inherited and effective permissions
- Protect logs, secrets, backups, and configuration files
Common mistakes
- Granting broad write access for convenience
- Assuming a file is private because its path is obscure
- Ignoring service accounts and inherited access
Certification relevance
This subject appears in or supports the following certification bodies of knowledge: