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SSH login does not grant automatic access to any directory. Once authenticated, the account is treated like every other Linux user: its UID, supplementary groups, permission bits, ACLs and execute permission on every parent directory determine what it can do. For a reusable shared folder, put the account in a dedicated group, assign that group to the directory and enable setgid inheritance; use an ACL when only one account needs access. For SFTP-only access, add a root-owned chroot with a separate writable child directory.
What “folder access” means on Linux
There are three distinct operations that people often call “access.” A user needs read permission on a directory to read its entries, execute permission to traverse it and access known entries, and write permission to create, remove or rename entries inside it. Reading a file also requires read permission on that file; changing a file’s contents generally requires write permission on the file itself. A directory can therefore be listable without being writable, or writable for a user who cannot list its contents if read permission is absent.
Linux checks the account’s numeric UID, every supplementary group, the directory and file mode bits, any POSIX ACL entries and the execute bit on each directory in the path. SSH authentication only establishes the account identity; it does not bypass these checks. A permission that looks correct on the target directory is ineffective if a parent such as /srv denies traversal.
Choose the access model before changing permissions
| Need | Recommended design | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Several accounts need the same shared directory | Dedicated Unix group with setgid on the directory | Group members receive consistent access, and new entries inherit the directory’s group. |
| One account needs access without changing the existing group | POSIX ACL for that user | Access is granted to the named account while the primary owner and group remain unchanged. |
| Read-only browsing or downloading | Directory r-x for the account or group |
The user can list and traverse, but cannot create or remove entries. |
| Uploads or shared editing | Directory rwx for the account or group |
The user can create and change entries, subject to the files’ own modes. |
| Transfer-only account | internal-sftp with a chroot and writable child directory |
The account can transfer files without an interactive shell or access outside the jail. |
| Normal shell account with access to an unrestricted path | Ordinary Unix permissions, groups or ACLs | The account retains its normal SSH shell and can reach any other permitted path. |
Decide whether the account should have a shell, whether it may write, and whether other users should share the same access. Those choices determine the least-privilege configuration below.
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Option 1: use a dedicated group for a shared folder
A group is usually the simplest maintainable arrangement when more than one SSH account needs the same directory. The example uses account sshuser, group folderusers and directory /srv/shared. Replace those names with your own values.
Create the group and add the SSH account
sudo groupadd folderusers
sudo usermod -aG folderusers sshuserThe -aG form appends the group. Omitting -a can replace the user’s existing supplementary-group list, so do not use a bare -G unless that replacement is intentional.
Assign ownership and setgid inheritance
sudo chown -R owner:folderusers /srv/shared
sudo chmod 2750 /srv/sharedHere, owner is the existing owner account, 2 sets the setgid bit, and 750 gives the owner read/write/traverse rights, the group read/traverse rights and no rights to others. Setgid causes new files and directories created directly below this directory to inherit group folderusers. This is useful for a read-and-download share.
If group members must upload, create or modify entries in the directory, use:
sudo chmod 2770 /srv/sharedThe final zero removes access for users outside the owner and group. If the directory must remain visible to other local users, choose an explicit “other” mode instead of copying these values blindly; grant no more than the policy requires.
Apply file and directory modes separately
Do not recursively apply one mode to everything. Directories need execute permission for traversal, while ordinary files commonly need read/write permission but not execute permission. A safer pattern after changing ownership is:
sudo find /srv/shared -type d -exec chmod 2770 {} +
sudo find /srv/shared -type f -exec chmod 0660 {} +Use 2770 and 0660 only when the owner and group should both have full directory/file access and others should have none. For a read-only group, use a directory mode such as 2750 and file modes that give the group read permission, for example 0640. Review existing application-specific requirements before changing a tree; executable programs, scripts and special files may need different modes.
Start a new session
Supplementary groups are normally read when a login session starts. Disconnect and reconnect SSH after usermod; an already-open shell will usually not see the new group. Confirm the result with:
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id sshuserThe output should list folderusers. A fresh SFTP connection is also required to test the changed group membership.
Option 2: grant one account access with ACLs
Use an ACL when changing the directory’s primary group would affect existing applications or users, or when a single SSH account needs an exception. The setfacl utility must be installed on the system.
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Give the account read and traversal rights
sudo setfacl -m u:sshuser:rx /srv/sharedThis permits sshuser to list and traverse the directory, assuming the path’s parent directories are also traversable and the files have suitable read modes. It does not allow creating or deleting entries.
Give write rights only to an upload directory
sudo setfacl -m u:sshuser:rwx /srv/shared/incomingA common least-privilege layout is read/traverse access to the share and write access only to incoming. The account needs execute permission on /srv/shared to reach that child. Directory write permission controls creation, deletion and renaming in that directory; it does not automatically make every existing file writable.
Inspect the ACL and its mask
getfacl /srv/shared /srv/shared/incomingLook for the named-user entry and the ACL mask. The mask limits effective permissions for named users (other than the owner) and named groups. A requested rwx entry can therefore display fewer effective rights if the mask is narrower. If you intentionally need to widen the effective rights, set the mask explicitly and review the security impact:
sudo setfacl -m m:rwx /srv/shared/incomingWhen access must continue for files and directories created later, consider default ACLs on the directory, then verify the resulting entries with getfacl. Set defaults only after deciding which permissions newly created files should receive; inherited write access can expose data more broadly than intended.
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Make every parent directory traversable
Linux evaluates each component in a pathname. For /srv/shared/incoming, the account must be able to execute (traverse) /srv, /srv/shared and /srv/shared/incoming. The account may have the right mode on incoming and still receive “Permission denied” because a parent blocks traversal.
Inspect the complete path with:
namei -l /srv/shared/incomingThe output shows ownership and mode bits for every component. Grant only the missing traversal permission; do not make an entire parent tree world-writable. If a parent is intentionally private, move the shared directory below a path whose policy permits traversal or use a different layout.
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Remember that directory execute permission is not the same as directory read permission. A user with execute but no read may access a file when its name is known, while a user with read but no execute cannot use the directory entries normally.
Verify effective permissions as the SSH account
Check the account and each operation under its actual identity rather than testing as root:
id sshuser
namei -l /srv/shared/incoming
sudo -u sshuser -- test -x /srv/shared
sudo -u sshuser -- test -r /srv/shared/file
sudo -u sshuser -- test -w /srv/shared/incomingA successful test produces no output and returns status zero. To see the status directly, append && echo OK or inspect $? in a shell. Test the operation you actually need:
- For listing, run
sudo -u sshuser -- ls -la /srv/shared. - For an upload, test creation in the writable directory with a temporary file and remove it afterward.
- For downloading, test reading the specific file, not only the directory.
Finally, use a new SSH or SFTP session. A local sudo -u test validates Unix permissions, while a real client test also exposes SSH configuration, chroot paths and protocol restrictions.
Keep SSH key authentication from failing first
OpenSSH normally reads .ssh/authorized_keys relative to the user’s home directory unless AuthorizedKeysFile is overridden. The account’s home directory, .ssh directory and authorized_keys file must be owned appropriately and must not be writable by unrelated users. With StrictModes enabled, sshd refuses to use a key when those locations have unsafe ownership or modes, even if the target data directory is correctly permissioned.
When key authentication fails, inspect the ownership and modes of the home and key path separately from the shared folder. A typical diagnostic is:
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ls -ld /home/sshuser /home/sshuser/.ssh
ls -l /home/sshuser/.ssh/authorized_keysDo not “fix” a key problem by making the home or .ssh tree broadly writable. Correct the owner and restrictive modes, then test again. The OpenSSH client guidance likewise expects ~/.ssh to be accessible to the user and not to other users, with strict protection for key material.
Build an SFTP-only account with a chroot
If the account should upload or download files but must not obtain a shell or reach the rest of the filesystem, add a user-specific Match block in sshd_config:
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Match User sshuser
ForceCommand internal-sftp
ChrootDirectory /srv/sftp/%u
DisableForwarding yes
PermitTTY noForceCommand internal-sftp replaces the requested shell or command with the in-process SFTP server. DisableForwarding yes prevents forwarding features for this account, and PermitTTY no prevents allocation of an interactive terminal. The %u token expands to the username, so the example expects a directory such as /srv/sftp/sshuser.
Make the chroot boundary safe
The chroot directory and every component above it must be root-owned directories that are not writable by any other user or group. For example, /srv, /srv/sftp and /srv/sftp/sshuser must satisfy that requirement. OpenSSH rejects a writable chroot boundary; this is a deliberate safety check, not a folder-permission quirk.
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sudo mkdir -p /srv/sftp/sshuser/incoming
sudo chown root:root /srv/sftp/sshuser
sudo chmod 755 /srv/sftp/sshuser
sudo chown sshuser:folderusers /srv/sftp/sshuser/incoming
sudo chmod 750 /srv/sftp/sshuser/incomingUse a group or ACL on incoming when several controlled accounts need it. The exact child mode should match whether the account only uploads, downloads, or both. A root-owned, non-writable boundary with no writable child allows authentication to succeed but leaves the account unable to upload, so always provide and test the child directory.
Understand paths after login
Inside the jail, the account sees the chroot as its filesystem root. A client may display /incoming even though the host path is /srv/sftp/sshuser/incoming. Configure scripts and users for the in-jail path, not the host’s absolute path.
Validate sshd configuration before reloading
Check syntax before applying any change:
sudo sshd -tIf the command returns an error, fix it before reloading or restarting the service. A syntax check does not prove that ownership, ACLs or chroot directories are correct, so perform the filesystem tests as well. Keep an existing administrative session open while testing a new connection, particularly when changing authentication or Match rules.
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After a successful check, reload the daemon using the service manager appropriate to the distribution, then connect with a new session. Test both the intended success and an intentionally disallowed operation—for example, upload to incoming and attempt a shell or access outside the chroot—to confirm that the boundary is doing what you designed.
Troubleshoot “Permission denied” systematically
The user is not in the expected group
Run id sshuser in a fresh session. If the group is absent, verify the usermod -aG command and reconnect. Existing sessions do not automatically acquire supplementary groups.
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The target directory looks correct but a parent blocks traversal
Run namei -l on the complete path. Add only the required execute permission on the blocking parent, or redesign the path if that parent is intentionally private.
An ACL entry exists but effective rights are narrower
Read getfacl output and compare the named-user or named-group entry with the mask:: entry. The mask can reduce the effective result. Adjust it only when the wider access is acceptable.
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Listing requires directory read and execute; creation additionally requires directory write. Check test -w on the exact upload directory and check the parent path. For an existing file that must be edited, check the file’s own write permission as well.
Authentication fails before folder permissions are tested
Inspect the home, .ssh and authorized_keys ownership and modes. StrictModes can reject an otherwise valid key when those locations are writable by unrelated users. Review SSH diagnostics with a verbose client invocation such as ssh -vv, without exposing private key material.
SFTP authentication succeeds but uploads are rejected
Check the chroot boundary first: every component must be root-owned and not writable by group or others. Then inspect the writable child directory inside the jail. The account should write to that child, not to the chroot itself.
The daemon will not reload
Run sudo sshd -t and correct the reported configuration line. Keep a working session open until a fresh connection confirms the corrected configuration.
Security and maintenance checklist
- Grant only the needed combination of read, write and execute permissions.
- Prefer a dedicated group for a stable shared policy and an ACL for a narrowly scoped exception.
- Keep directory and file modes distinct when changing a tree recursively.
- Use setgid on shared directories when new entries must retain the shared group.
- Inspect every parent directory with
namei -l; a target directory mode alone is not sufficient. - Inspect ACL masks with
getfacl, not just the named-user line. - Start a new login after group membership changes.
- Protect the home,
.sshandauthorized_keyspaths so StrictModes accepts the key. - For SFTP jails, keep the chroot boundary root-owned and non-writable, and provide a separate writable child.
- Run
sshd -tbefore every configuration reload and test with the real SSH or SFTP client.
A practical decision example
Suppose a team needs to download files from /srv/shared, while one service account may upload only to /srv/shared/incoming. Give the team a read/traverse group mode on the share, grant the service account an ACL with rwx on incoming, verify traversal on every parent, and test read and write operations as that account. If the service account must not run commands, place it in an SFTP-only Match User block and move the writable area into a root-owned chroot child instead of exposing the unrestricted host path. This separates the Unix permission decision from the SSH-session restriction and lets each layer enforce the least privilege independently.
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