Linux is the most secure OS you can run on your computer... Here's why: "Permissions" File attributes that define who can access or change a file and whether a file can be executed as a program. "-rwxr-xr-x" Shows file type and permissions. +-------------+------+-------+ | d--------- | File Type | +-------------+------+-------+ | - = regular file | | d = directory | | l = link | +-------------+------+-------+ | Permission | Octal| Field | +-------------+------+-------+ | rwx----- | 700 | User | | ---rwx-- | 070 | Group | | -------rwx | 007 | Other | +-------------+------+-------+ Octal values: Read = 4 Write = 2 Execute = 1 8 bits = 1 byte. Uses digits 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. You can set permissions in the file manager or with the commend "chmod." Examples: Set a file to be executable and readable by by everyone but only writable by you: 'chmod 755 filemane' Set execute bit without changing other permisions: 'chomd +x filename' When applying permissions to directories on Linux, the permission bits have different meanings than on regular files. The write bit allows the affected user to create, rename, or delete files within the directory, and modify the directory's attributes. The read bit allows the affected user to list the files within the directory. The execute bit allows the affected user to enter the directory and access files and directories inside.