Folder and File Security
Microsoft uses different levels of security or permissions of folders in order to restrict access to the contents of that folder. These permissions are called NTFS Permissions. The NTFS is the type of file system that is used on computers using Windows NT or higher. These include Windows 2000 and XP.
Network administrators use NTFS permissions to specify which users and groups can gain access to files and folders, and what they can do with the contents of the file or folder. NTFS permissions are only available on NTFS volumes. The permissions you assign for folders are different from the permissions you assign for files.These permissions control the access that users have to folders and to the files and subfolders that are contained within the folder.
A user's effective permissions for a
resource are the sum of the NTFS permissions that is assigned to the individual
user account and to all of the groups to which the user belongs. If a user has
Read permission for a folder and is a member of a group with Write permission
for the same folder, the user has both Read and Write permission for that
folder. Permissions are cumulative.
The table below lists the standard NTFS file permissions that you can assign and
the type of access that each provides.
| Permission | Explanation |
| Full Control | Change permissions, take ownership, and delete subfolders and files, plus perform actions permitted by all other NTFS folder permissions |
| Modify | Delete the folder plus perform actions permitted by the Write permission and the Read & Execute permission |
| Read & Execute | Move through folders to reach other files and folders, even if the users do not have permission for those folders, and perform actions permitted by the Read permission and the List Folder Contents permission |
| List Folder Contents | See the names of files and subfolders in the folder |
| Read | See files and subfolders in the folder and view folder ownership, permissions, and attributes (such as Read-only, Hidden, Archive, and System) |
| Write | Create new files and subfolders within the folder, change folder attributes, and view folder ownership and permissions |
The table below lists the standard
NTFS file permissions that you can assign and the type of access that each
provides.
| Permission | Explanation |
| Full Control | Change permissions and take ownership, plus perform the actions permitted by all other NTFS file permissions |
| Modify | Modify and delete the file plus perform the actions permitted by the Write permission and the Read & Execute permission |
| Read & Execute | Run applications plus perform the actions permitted by the Read permission |
| Read | Read the file, and view file attributes, ownership, and permissions |
| Write | Overwrite the file, change file attributes, and view file ownership and permissions |