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Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2015 21:02:39 +0100
From: Polytropon <freebsd@edvax.de>
To: Jeremy Gransden <jeremy.gransden@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: See which user is deleting files
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On Mon, 9 Feb 2015 14:55:59 -0500, Jeremy Gransden wrote:
> Is there a way to log when files get deleted and by whom?

A possible approach would be to make /bin/rm a script
that logs the required information. Or, on a per-user
or global basis, an alias (but this depends on the
shell heavily). The idea with the script sounds a little
better because it would already get the evaluated shell
arguments, and all programs (!) that call /bin/rm would
be "affected". Of course, if a program doesn't use /bin/rm,
but instead calls unlink(), it doesn't work anymore.
THis will probably be true for most UI-based programs
(for example deleting from X file managers, or even
with Midnight Commander's PF8).

It's probably a better idea to use a file alteration
monitor to track when files disappear. However, I don't
know if those tools around have the ability to determine
_who_ deleted files...

Maybe there are accounting tools that track I/O activity
in a way that they can capture the creation of files in
the same way as their removal?


-- 
Polytropon
Magdeburg, Germany
Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0
Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...