Dodgy shell script keeps trying to run out of /tmp directory?

[Wild_Goose]

This actually started happening on opensuse 13.2, I have just upgraded to tumbleweed and it's still doing it.

Two separate files have requested root privileges to run so far.

I always log in as a standard user, so I'm getting prompts to run them as root.

I don't know if they are malicious, or if it's just my ignorance about file permission change commands.

Anyway here is the script they keep trying to run:

#!/bin/bash
chown -h -R 1000 "/home/aries/Dropbox"
chmod  -R u+rw "/home/aries/Dropbox"
echo Done

[Wild_Goose]

I should add that my dropbox is refusing to sync, giving a file permission error, so maybe I do need to run this script after all?

[nrickert]

I've never setup dropbox, so I might be making wrong guesses.

If your UID is 1000, then those scripts should work. You should already own those files, so "chown" and "chmod" should not require root permissions. If your UID is not 1000, then I would guess that you are trying to access a different user's dropbox.

In short, I'm not seeing anything particularly dodgy. Rather, you seem to be doing something odd.

Hmm, I've seen some live media which setup the first user as UID=1001. I seem to recall that the "krypton" live install did that. So if the install setup the first user as UID=1001, but you are using an existing "/home" partition with a different UID, then you have to fix the UIDs.

[ab]

On 04/05/2016 07:16 AM, Wild Goose wrote:
>
> This actually started happening on opensuse 13.2, I have just upgraded
> to tumbleweed and it's still doing it.
>
> Two separate files have requested root privileges to run so far.
>
> I always log in as a standard user, so I'm getting prompts to run them
> as root.
>
> I don't know if they are malicious, or if it's just my ignorance about
> file permission change commands.

Smart; good to look things up before answering source-less prompts for
permissions.

> Anyway here is the script they keep trying to run:
>
>
> Code:
> --------------------
> #!/bin/bash
> chown -h -R 1000 "/home/aries/Dropbox"

Trying to set UID 1000 as the owner of 'Dropbox' but only if 'Dropbox' is
a real thing (not a symlink, so probably a directory) and then do so
recursively. This is probably fine, especially if your user's UID is 1000
(run the 'id' command as your user in a shell to find out).

> chmod -R u+rw "/home/aries/Dropbox"

Recursively give the user-owner read/write rights on the Dropbox
directory. Also probably fine.

> echo Done

Prints 'Done' to the screen followed by a newline.

There is probably nothing wrong with any of this.

--
Good luck.

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[hcvv]

As an addition: when you show us what you are tryingto do (tyhe scrtipt), you do not show iuse what the owners/permissions were, nor what the output of the script is when running, nor what the resulting owner/permissions are.

In short, no documentation of your problem at all.

ls -l /home/aries/Dropbox

before and after, and

path/to/the/script

in between.

And one of those "prompt" you say you get would also not be out of place.

We want to see computer facts and no conclusions.

BTW. It seems that nrickert thinks that that file (maybe directory) Dropbox is not just a directory, but is something special to some application you use. Is thiis a mounted file system?

[gogalthorp]

By chance are you using MS file systems in this mix?

[Wild_Goose]

Sorry for not getting back sooner on this.

Thank you everyone for your replies.

Thanks also ab for your explanation. Based on that I entered the commands as root, and my Dropbox started syncing again!

The tmp files no longer pop up to ask to run as root, so perhaps they were generated by the Dropbox programme.

My uid was 1000, but I have upgraded this machine several times with successively newer versions of opensuse by wiping / but keeping the same /home partition and username.

So maybe Dropbox got confused with taking over the /home partition with the newer installs.

By the way, this machine does not have any MS partitions on it.

[Knurpht]

Sorry for not getting back sooner on this.

Thank you everyone for your replies.

Thanks also ab for your explanation. Based on that I entered the commands as root, and my Dropbox started syncing again!

The tmp files no longer pop up to ask to run as root, so perhaps they were generated by the Dropbox programme.

My uid was 1000, but I have upgraded this machine several times with successively newer versions of opensuse by wiping / but keeping the same /home partition and username.

So maybe Dropbox got confused with taking over the /home partition with the newer installs.

By the way, this machine does not have any MS partitions on it.

I think the script is there to make sure that even folders outside /home can be used to sync. If you don't own these folders the syncing ( which has you as the owner ) will not work. What bothers me is how you got a Dropbox folder not owned by your user. An upgrade/install using an old /home always makes sure the permissions are set correctly, so this must have happened some other way.