-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 <big snip> > Why "slash": /.thunderbird in case of your example? Because if you > do not specify absolute path beginning with / the ssh daemon > prepends your relative path with its `pwd` it runs in, and its > `pwd` is "/") Not so. Consider: $ ssh pi-1 pwd /home/jmr If you examine what is happening, the daemon creates an unprivileged process for the user, and that process performs the operation. Were it to be otherwise you would have a gaping hole in security. $ ssh pi-1 ps -f UID PID PPID C STIME TTY TIME CMD jmr 3054 3050 0 04:22 ? 00:00:00 sshd: jmr at notty jmr 3055 3054 0 04:22 ? 00:00:00 ps -f $ ssh pi-1 ps -ef | grep ssh root 2432 1 0 Feb28 ? 00:00:00 /usr/sbin/sshd root 3056 2432 0 04:23 ? 00:00:00 sshd: jmr [priv] jmr 3060 3056 0 04:23 ? 00:00:00 sshd: jmr at notty The first command shows the unprivileged process shelling out the ps command as expected. Note that the parent daemon is running as jmr at notty. The second command shows master daemon, the privileged child to handle the connection and the unprivileged jmr at notty. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v2.0.22 (GNU/Linux) iQIcBAEBAgAGBQJU80j0AAoJEAF3yXsqtyBlr0EQAJNyKbeBSu0F22dqe+cIiTfl yydfgvCsqmg2xiAz4oQgiqHoYqjcj4XihnIclCmsrw+My4WAy5Yer59NVl/tVYPh n0YOAm2oobHTYL4rse/eeFUUga19JD1JAwCrs/k3GQwDXaoBf9PXcRAQBo4q44Mx peA7T9Fmb7eosz3xVS74hOeYFTPdOOMSr17ygGuyM9Q0vHgg3EyDUUPjotsp7eRe vr9eQI64DgPL1Q01BdZYqseHbLNxkCjL1tuDRy8Qzrj2i4S4JEPB8h8VJWVssoQw J6IqWz3hHi+9ecl5AX/jTdlgxUK7rhogMmQ7YanqA4MGCSZQkOmk7jz59ocD0S6q sswJVUOHbV1DVKCFR/G2SOfYecp9iIti5az58v4nPMzK/X8coB1ZeB9cZlKpGh94 2UU34UmynvgCSsw3THqS3QgTE4VtPAVtyLJWFjK+E+ilsJ6b84emEWoSZ/b7RhTg kADyr/xlmX6xXOUBQsME9ExfTVsKJv+wj02tFaxhEkup3bS2twAbRPprSy66TZXD 5OD8Nyz3lxSl1Z2qy7KzYhf3gY5gcYDXgtRPcNiM2sWOZTmoo+ZKJQVeVMyZ+inf 0Vls5joJrRi93XfVuWMijnT/A4aCAhbUBlPye7sX6uy96ButBsk/rAaolzNh1PdH Htsbqx50fPZbzNfyZ2BB =LGml -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----