vsftpd: refusing to run with writable root inside chroot()

Question

I have installed vsftpd on my Ubuntu 12.04 x32 I have set up vsftpd.conf and uncommented local_enable=YES and write_enable=YES and chroot_local_user=YES (both of them).

I had already installed apache server in /home/var/www/

so I did a chown root:root /var/www/

When I try to login with the root username and password to the ftp server. I get the error vsftpd: refusing to run with writable root inside chroot()

mrgusmuller · Answer

I’v added allow_writeable_chroot=YES to the end of the vsftp.conf file, located on /etc/

Kamal Nasser · Answer

Since you’re chrooted to /home/snitz, move /var/www/* to /home/snitz/www/* so that you can edit the files.

pablo · Answer

The Ubuntu Server Guide suggests:

Sharing Write Permission

For more than one user to be able to write to the same directory it will be necessary to grant write permission to a group they share in common. The following example grants shared write permission to /var/www to the group webmasters.

sudo chgrp -R webmasters /var/www
sudo find /var/www -type d -exec chmod g=rwxs “{}” ;
sudo find /var/www -type f -exec chmod g=rws “{}” ;

See HTTPD - Apache2 Web Server.

george.semaan · Answer

I have no idea how to do that. I’m googling it, no luck so far.

pablo · Answer

“Maybe I need to tie the username I’m login in with to /var/www”

Yes! You need to do that. You don’t necessarily have to have the user own that directory, however. Simply put the user in the same group.

george.semaan · Answer

Yes, I tried that. It stopped logging in altogether.

Now I am able to login just fine but it’s taking me to the wrong directory. Maybe I need to tie the username I’m login in with to /var/www

pablo · Answer

Have you tried employing the solution that @vic .palm2849 described, here: Set up vsftpd but now I’m getting 550 Permission denied error?

george.semaan · Answer

I was just able to login with “snitz” but its taking me to /home/snitz but my files are in /var/www

I gave “snitz” root access following this tutorial: https://www.digitalocean.com/community/articles/initial-server-setup-with-ubuntu-12-04

visudo

pablo · Answer

How did you give snitz root access?

Kamal Nasser · Answer

Sat Jul 27 19:01:46 2013 [pid 1] [snitz] OK LOGIN: Client “41.159.129.15”

You were able to log in as snitz. Does your FTP client output an error when you try to login as snitz?

Question

vsftpd: refusing to run with writable root inside chroot()

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