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Re: modified file

by wog (Curate)
on Sep 22, 2001 at 20:10 UTC ( [id://114067]=note: print w/replies, xml ) Need Help??


in reply to modified file

On platforms where there is a timestamp for when a file was last viewed (includes most UNIX systems) you can check the access timestamp returned by stat or -A. Note that this timestamp can be manipulated, and that the sysadmin may be able to bypass the timestamping mechanism entirely.

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Re: Re: modified file
by jlongino (Parson) on Sep 22, 2001 at 20:23 UTC
    Good point wog, this is particularly true of backups. It is possible for the sysadmin to backup all your files, restore them to a different location and do whatever they want to the copies. This type of activity would leave no trail that you could follow. 
    @a=split??,'just lose the ego and get involved!';
for(split??,'afqtw{|~'){print $a[ord($_)-97]}
[reply]
      Or, taking what you said a different way -- the sysadmin, doing the routine nightly backups, could throw the timestamp off too.. leaving you unsure if it was an automated process which touched the file, or a person manually looking at it.

      Backups, tripwire, the "locate" DB, and several other nightly processes can all interfere with it.
      -Eric
[reply]

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