[DmitriRavinoff]

Yes, but if you can't run the chmod binary...

[fjarlq]

No, root can still run chmod, because its superuser privileges override the new restrictive directory perms. That was my point.

Maybe the original problem was actually "chmod a-rwx /bin/chmod" ... That would mean even the superuser couldn't execute /bin/chmod anymore, so you'd have to do something more creative to reset the executable bit on /bin/chmod. Like compile a C program that calls the chmod system call, or:

  mv /bin/chmod /bin/chmod.orig
  cp -p /bin/ls /bin/chmod
  cp /bin/chmod.orig /bin/chmod

[pantalaimon]

> Like compile a C program that calls the chmod system call

The compiler wouldn't be executable anymore either

[mtdewcmu]

The explanation for what made him type that is what interests me. It would be like accidentally cutting your left hand clean off with a steak knife while you were eating dinner.

[johnchristopher]

My bash is set to use vim bindings (set -o vi) and I constantly loop through commands. I am guilty of doing this while sleepy and sometimes I think I have cd to another directory when in fact I have not. I rm-ed (too) many things that way.

[r4um]

One can use the shared library loader to invoke binaries that do not have executable bit set, comes in handy once in a while.

  $ cp /bin/chmod .
  $ chmod -x ./chmod
  $ /lib/ld-2.19.so ./chmod
  ./chmod: missing operand
  Try './chmod --help' for more information.