As we know, Linux users have many commands and tools that allow you to flexibly configure and control every aspect of the OS. However, with great power comes great responsibility – there are many commands that can disrupt the normal operation of Linux and lead to sad consequences.
Therefore, let’s figure out together which Linux commands should not be entered under any circumstances.
The Killer rm-rf team /*
rm -rf /* is the most favorite team among Internet trolls who like to cruelly mock newcomers by throwing this team into various discussions and chats. Let’s study it in more detail:
rm – command to delete files/directories;
-r – flag required for recursive deletion of all files inside a folder;
-f – flag that allows you to perform the operation without the user’s request.
Without root rights, this command will not do any harm. Even sudo rm -rf/ will not create any problems, since most popular distributions have protection against executing this command. The –preserve-root function is responsible for this.
However, if you still want to execute this command, you have two options:
with protection disabled: sudo rm -rf / –no-preserve-root
and simpler: sudo rm -rf /*
After execution, the system will start recursively deleting all files in general, starting from the root directory, until the system freezes with the message “Error deleting file”. After a reboot, Linux usually throws a grub-rescue error.