Involuntary Directory Removal

In Linux, there are several mechanisms you can use to warn users about the potential risks of involuntary directory removal. Here are a few approaches:

Alias for rm Command

You can create an alias for the rm command that warns users before deleting directories. Add the following to your shell configuration file (e.g., .bashrc, .zshrc):

Example:

alias rm='rm -i'

This will prompt the user for confirmation before deleting any file or directory. However, this is not specific to directories. To make it directory-specific, you could create a custom function:

              rm() {
                        for arg in "$@"; do
                            if [ -d "$arg" ]; then
                                echo "Warning: You are about to remove a directory: $arg"
                                read -p "Are you sure? (y/n) " confirm
                                if [ "$confirm" != "y" ]; then
                                    echo "Aborted."
                                    return 1
                                fi
                            fi
                        done
                        command rm "$@"
              }


Add this to your shell configuration file, and it will warn users before deleting directories.

Using chattr to Make Directories Immutable

You can use the chattr command to make directories immutable, preventing them from being deleted accidentally:
```
sudo chattr +i /path/to/directory
```
This will make the directory immutable, and even the root user won’t be able to delete it without first removing the immutable flag:
```
sudo chattr -i /path/to/directory
```
This is a strong measure but may not be practical for all use cases.

Custom Script for Directory Deletion

Create a custom script for directory deletion that includes warnings and checks. For example:

#!/bin/bash

if [ -z "$1" ]; then
    echo "Usage: safe_rmdir <directory>"
    exit 1
fi

if [ -d "$1" ]; then
    echo "Warning: You are about to remove the directory: $1"
    read -p "Are you sure? (y/n) " confirm
    if [ "$confirm" == "y" ]; then
        rm -r "$1"
        echo "Directory removed."
    else
        echo "Aborted."
    fi
else
    echo "Error: $1 is not a directory."
fi

Save this script as safe_rmdir, make it executable (chmod +x safe_rmdir), and place it in a directory in your PATH. Encourage users to use this script instead of rm -r.

Using rm -I for Interactive Prompts

The rm command has an -I option that provides a single prompt before removing more than three files or when removing recursively. This is less intrusive than -i but still provides some protection:
rm -I -r /path/to/directory
You can alias rm to always include -I:
```
alias rm='rm -I'
```

Filesystem-Level Protections

If you have control over the filesystem, you can use tools like btrfs or zfs to create snapshots of directories. This won’t prevent deletion, but it allows you to recover deleted directories easily.

Audit and Monitoring Tools

Use tools like auditd to monitor file and directory deletions. While this won’t prevent deletions, it can log them and alert administrators:
```
sudo auditctl -w /path/to/directory -p wa -k dir_deletion
```
This will log any write or attribute changes to the directory, including deletions.

Educate Users

Sometimes the best mechanism is education. Make sure users understand the risks of using commands like rm -r and encourage them to double-check paths before executing such commands.

By combining these approaches, you can significantly reduce the risk of involuntary directory removal.