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Forum Discussion
BrenoMachad0
May 24, 2017Follower
How to identify a user's action
My network contains multiple users and I need to identify the user who created a certain folder and the other one who deleted a file. How can I find out?
capaz
May 24, 2017Tutor
The system does not log that sort of user activity.
Edit: If this is an ongoing need (vs. forensics on something that has already been done), here a solution that worked for one user:
- SandsharkMay 24, 2017Sensei - Experienced User
Wouldn't the user who created a folder be the owner of that folder? Not something you can see from the GUI, but certainly visible via SSH.
Once a file is gone, I can't think of any way to figure out who deleted it.
- capazMay 24, 2017Tutor
Sandshark wrote:Wouldn't the user who created a folder be the owner of that folder? Not something you can see from the GUI, but certainly visible via SSH.
Once a file is gone, I can't think of any way to figure out who deleted it.
Ok, you went there. :-)
I had composed the following, and then held off posting for fear of opening a proverbial can of worms.
Depending on how critical is your need, it might be technically possible to figure out who created a particular folder, but only if things have been configured and used in a particular way:
If your users are connecting to the share using individual ReadyNAS user account credentials (i.e., not anonymous/guest) then a folder will be owned by the particular ReadyNAS user that created it. Because that ownership is at the underlying filesystem level, the only way (AFAIK) to determine that ownership is using SSH shell access. This generally requires some level of comfort/experience with the underlying linux OS. There is info on configuring ReadyNAS SSH access here:
Note the very serious caveats in that article, along with this warning from the ReadyNAS OS user manual:
WARNING:
If you enable SSH root access, NETGEAR might deny you technical support.
- jak0lantashMay 24, 2017Mentor
Download the logs from the GUI, and look at smbd.log.
Check the owner of the files.
If that doesn't bring answers, there is nothing more that you can on a ReadyNAS, afaik anyway.
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