https://linuxeries.org/tags/incident-prevention/ Recent content in Incident-Prevention on ShieldedBytes Hugo en Mon, 02 Nov 2026 10:37:33 +0200 https://linuxeries.org/post/2026-11-02-how-to-fix-find-delete-going-on-the-wrong-dir/ Mon, 02 Nov 2026 10:37:33 +0200 https://linuxeries.org/post/2026-11-02-how-to-fix-find-delete-going-on-the-wrong-dir/ <h2 id="the-find---delete-catastrophe-and-how-to-stop-it">The “find … -delete” Catastrophe and How to Stop It</h2> <p>A single typo in a <code>find</code> command can wipe a production directory, a backup, or an entire filesystem. The classic recipe that trips even seasoned sysadmins is:</p> <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-bash" data-lang="bash"><span class="line"><span class="cl">find / -name <span class="s1">&#39;*.tmp&#39;</span> -delete </span></span></code></pre></div><p>If the leading slash is omitted or the pattern is too broad, the command starts at the wrong root and deletes everything that matches. In 2025, a handful of high‑profile incidents were traced back to this exact mistake, underscoring that defensive scripting is as much about guardrails as it is about automation.</p>