700

700 Permission Code**

Permission Code: 700 Owner Exclusive Full Access

700 grants full rights to the owner only, and blocks access for group and public.

rwx------

This is a **strict, owner-only permission mode commonly used for private scripts, SSH directories, or sensitive automation assets in a WordPress VPS environment. It removes all group and public access.

Technical Permission Structure

No	Role	Bits	Access
1	Owner	rwx	✓ full
2	Group	---	✗ none
3	Others	---	✗ none

Behavioral Summary

• Only owner can read, write, execute
• Group has no access whatsoever
• Public has no access whatsoever
• Directory becomes fully private to the site user

WordPress Use Cases

No	Component	Use Case
1	.ssh/ directory	SSH keys and configs
2	Backup scripts	Prevent tampering or access
3	Deployment automation folders	Secure CI/CD scripts
4	Custom storage folders for secrets	.env, private configs
5	Private maintenance tools	maintenance.sh

Not for general WP core directories on publicly serving sites.

When 700 Should NOT Be Used

No	Location	Reason
1	/wp-content/	WP and web server need access
2	/wp-admin/	breaks PHP/OLS/Nginx access
3	/wp-includes/	prevents PHP read
4	Uploads directory	images cannot be read

In these cases, use standard modes like 755 (dirs) and 644 (files).

Correct Usage Patterns

SSH directory

chmod 700 ~/.ssh
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa

Private script folder

chmod -R 700 /opt/wp-scripts

Script file

chmod 700 deploy.sh

Private config folder

chmod 700 /var/www/secure-config/

Realistic WP Server Scenarios

Scenario: VPS with automated deploy service

Script protection:

/opt/wp-deploy/ = 700
deploy.sh = 700

Scenario: Private cron scripts

/root/cron-scripts = 700

Scenario: SSH and secrets

/root/.ssh = 700
/var/www/wpuser/.ssh = 700

Security Rationale

No	Benefit	Explanation
1	Isolates sensitive scripts	no other users can read/modify
2	Prevents secret exposure	SSH keys, env vars
3	Limits privilege surfaces	only owner handles execution
4	Complies with secure SSH standards	required for SSH access

Misuse Impact

If applied to WordPress public directories:

• PHP cannot serve assets
• Web server cannot read themes/plugins/uploads
• Website will break immediately

Example wrong usage:

chmod -R 700 wp-content

Fix:

find wp-content -type d -exec chmod 755 {} ;
find wp-content -type f -exec chmod 644 {} ;

Exercise for Controlled Environment

1. Create private script folder
2. Restrict with 700
3. Test behavior as owner vs other user

Commands:

mkdir /opt/testing-secure
chmod 700 /opt/testing-secure
touch /opt/testing-secure/test.sh
chmod 700 /opt/testing-secure/test.sh

Switch users and verify restricted access.

Key Takeaways

No	Statement	Valid
1	700 gives only owner full access	✓
2	Used for private scripts, SSH, automation	✓
3	Not used for WordPress public directories	✓
4	Required for .ssh folder	✓
5	Breaks WP operation if applied to site dirs	✓
6	Excellent for sensitive file isolation	✓

Summary sentence:

Use 700 for private directories/scripts; never for WordPress content directories serving the public.

Integrity Rules Set

For public WordPress sites:

Directories: 755
Files: 644
wp-config.php: 600
Never apply 700 to core or public WP paths

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