BASH - Find - Find Files Based On their Permissions

NOTE: The MODE can be either with numeric or octal permission (like 777, 666.. etc) or symbolic permission (like u=x, a=r+x).

The MODE can be specified in three different ways:

• If we specify the mode without any prefixes, it will find files of exact permissions.
• If we use “-“ prefix with mode, at least the files should have the given permission, not the exact permission.
• If we use “/” prefix, either the owner, the group, or other should have permission to the file.

NOTE: This command will find the files with permission of exactly 777 in the current directory.

NOTE: This will find all files where the file owner has read/write/execute permissions, file group members have read/write permissions and everything else has also read/write permission.

• Yes, it will display files which do have 766 permissions.

• But this may also display some files which do not have exact 766 permissions.
  • This could include files with tighter permissions too.

NOTE: This will find files which are writable by somebody (either their owner, or their group, or anybody else).

NOTE: This will find files which are writable by either their owner or their group.

• That means the files do not have to be writable by both the owner and group to be matched; either will do.

NOTE:

• The letter a can be used to represent all three of these categories.
• The permissions can be specified using letters r (read), w (write), x (executable).

NOTE: You can use either “=” or “+” for symbolic notation.

• It does not matter.

NOTE: The above command is equivalent of find -perm -220 command.

NOTE: These two commands do the same job as the find -perm /220 command.