FileSystemSecurity Class

Definition

Namespace:

System.Security.AccessControl

Assembly:

System.IO.FileSystem.AccessControl.dll

Represents the access control and audit security for a file or directory.

public ref class FileSystemSecurity abstract : System::Security::AccessControl::NativeObjectSecurity

public abstract class FileSystemSecurity : System.Security.AccessControl.NativeObjectSecurity

type FileSystemSecurity = class
    inherit NativeObjectSecurity

Public MustInherit Class FileSystemSecurity
Inherits NativeObjectSecurity

Inheritance

Object

ObjectSecurity

CommonObjectSecurity

NativeObjectSecurity

FileSystemSecurity

Derived

System.Security.AccessControl.DirectorySecurity

System.Security.AccessControl.FileSecurity

Examples

The following code example uses the FileSecurity class to add and then remove an access control list (ACL) entry from a file. You must supply a valid user or group account to run this example.

using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Security.AccessControl;

namespace FileSystemExample
{
    class FileExample
    {
        public static void Main()
        {
            try
            {
                string fileName = "test.xml";

                Console.WriteLine($"Adding access control entry for {fileName}");

                // Add the access control entry to the file.
                AddFileSecurity(fileName, @"DomainName\AccountName",
                    FileSystemRights.ReadData, AccessControlType.Allow);

                Console.WriteLine($"Removing access control entry from {fileName}");

                // Remove the access control entry from the file.
                RemoveFileSecurity(fileName, @"DomainName\AccountName",
                    FileSystemRights.ReadData, AccessControlType.Allow);

                Console.WriteLine("Done.");
            }
            catch (Exception e)
            {
                Console.WriteLine(e);
            }
        }

        // Adds an ACL entry on the specified file for the specified account.
        public static void AddFileSecurity(string fileName, string account,
            FileSystemRights rights, AccessControlType controlType)
        {
            FileInfo fileInfo = new(fileName);
            FileSecurity fSecurity = fileInfo.GetAccessControl();

            // Add the FileSystemAccessRule to the security settings.
            fSecurity.AddAccessRule(new FileSystemAccessRule(account,
                rights, controlType));

            // Set the new access settings.
            fileInfo.SetAccessControl(fSecurity);
        }

        // Removes an ACL entry on the specified file for the specified account.
        public static void RemoveFileSecurity(string fileName, string account,
            FileSystemRights rights, AccessControlType controlType)
        {
            FileInfo fileInfo = new(fileName);
            FileSecurity fSecurity = fileInfo.GetAccessControl();

            // Remove the FileSystemAccessRule from the security settings.
            fSecurity.RemoveAccessRule(new FileSystemAccessRule(account,
                rights, controlType));

            // Set the new access settings.
            fileInfo.SetAccessControl(fSecurity);
        }
    }
}

Imports System.IO
Imports System.Security.AccessControl

Module FileExample

    Sub Main()
        Try
            Dim fileName As String = "test.xml"

            Console.WriteLine("Adding access control entry for " & fileName)

            ' Add the access control entry to the file.
            AddFileSecurity(fileName, "DomainName\AccountName",
                FileSystemRights.ReadData, AccessControlType.Allow)

            Console.WriteLine("Removing access control entry from " & fileName)

            ' Remove the access control entry from the file.
            RemoveFileSecurity(fileName, "DomainName\AccountName",
                FileSystemRights.ReadData, AccessControlType.Allow)

            Console.WriteLine("Done.")
        Catch e As Exception
            Console.WriteLine(e)
        End Try

    End Sub

    ' Adds an ACL entry on the specified file for the specified account.
    Sub AddFileSecurity(ByVal fileName As String, ByVal account As String,
        ByVal rights As FileSystemRights, ByVal controlType As AccessControlType)

        Dim fileInfo As New FileInfo(fileName)
        Dim fSecurity As FileSecurity = fileInfo.GetAccessControl()

        ' Add the FileSystemAccessRule to the security settings. 
        Dim accessRule As New FileSystemAccessRule(account, rights, controlType)

        fSecurity.AddAccessRule(accessRule)

        ' Set the new access settings.
        fileInfo.SetAccessControl(fSecurity)

    End Sub

    ' Removes an ACL entry on the specified file for the specified account.
    Sub RemoveFileSecurity(ByVal fileName As String, ByVal account As String,
        ByVal rights As FileSystemRights, ByVal controlType As AccessControlType)

        Dim fileInfo As New FileInfo(fileName)
        Dim fSecurity As FileSecurity = fileInfo.GetAccessControl()

        ' Remove the FileSystemAccessRule from the security settings. 
        fSecurity.RemoveAccessRule(New FileSystemAccessRule(account,
            rights, controlType))

        ' Set the new access settings.
        fileInfo.SetAccessControl(fSecurity)

    End Sub
End Module

Remarks

The FileSystemSecurity class is the base class for the FileSecurity and DirectorySecurity classes. These classes represent all of the access rights for a system file or directory and define how access attempts are audited.

The FileSystemSecurity class represents access and audit rights as a set of rules. Each access rule is represented by a FileSystemAccessRule object, while each audit rule is represented by a FileSystemAuditRule object.

The FileSystemSecurity class is an abstraction of the underlying Microsoft Windows file security system. In this system, each file or directory has a discretionary access control list (DACL), which controls access to the file or directory, and a system access control list (SACL), which specifies the access control attempts that are audited. The FileSystemAccessRule and FileSystemAuditRule classes are abstractions of access control entries (ACEs) that comprise DACLs and SACLs.

The FileSystemSecurity class hides many of details of DACLs and SACLs; you do not have to worry about ACE ordering or null DACLS.

Use the following .NET implementation-dependent methods to add or retrieve ACL information from a file:

.NET implementation	Add rules	Retrieve rules
.NET	FileSystemAclExtensions.SetAccessControl(FileInfo, FileSecurity)	FileSystemAclExtensions.GetAccessControl(FileInfo)
.NET Framework	FileInfo.SetAccessControl(FileSecurity)	FileInfo.GetAccessControl()

Properties

AccessRightType	Gets the enumeration that the FileSystemSecurity class uses to represent access rights.
AccessRulesModified	Gets or sets a Boolean value that specifies whether the access rules associated with this ObjectSecurity object have been modified. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
AccessRuleType	Gets the enumeration that the FileSystemSecurity class uses to represent access rules.
AreAccessRulesCanonical	Gets a Boolean value that specifies whether the access rules associated with this ObjectSecurity object are in canonical order. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
AreAccessRulesProtected	Gets a Boolean value that specifies whether the Discretionary Access Control List (DACL) associated with this ObjectSecurity object is protected. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
AreAuditRulesCanonical	Gets a Boolean value that specifies whether the audit rules associated with this ObjectSecurity object are in canonical order. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
AreAuditRulesProtected	Gets a Boolean value that specifies whether the System Access Control List (SACL) associated with this ObjectSecurity object is protected. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
AuditRulesModified	Gets or sets a Boolean value that specifies whether the audit rules associated with this ObjectSecurity object have been modified. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
AuditRuleType	Gets the type that the FileSystemSecurity class uses to represent audit rules.
GroupModified	Gets or sets a Boolean value that specifies whether the group associated with the securable object has been modified. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
IsContainer	Gets a Boolean value that specifies whether this ObjectSecurity object is a container object. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
IsDS	Gets a Boolean value that specifies whether this ObjectSecurity object is a directory object. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
OwnerModified	Gets or sets a Boolean value that specifies whether the owner of the securable object has been modified. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
SecurityDescriptor	Gets the security descriptor for this instance. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)

Methods

AccessRuleFactory(IdentityReference, Int32, Boolean, InheritanceFlags, PropagationFlags, AccessControlType)	Initializes a new instance of the FileSystemAccessRule class that represents a new access control rule for the specified user, with the specified access rights, access control, and flags.
AddAccessRule(AccessRule)	Adds the specified access rule to the Discretionary Access Control List (DACL) associated with this CommonObjectSecurity object. (Inherited from CommonObjectSecurity)
AddAccessRule(FileSystemAccessRule)	Adds the specified access control list (ACL) permission to the current file or directory.
AddAuditRule(AuditRule)	Adds the specified audit rule to the System Access Control List (SACL) associated with this CommonObjectSecurity object. (Inherited from CommonObjectSecurity)
AddAuditRule(FileSystemAuditRule)	Adds the specified audit rule to the current file or directory.
AuditRuleFactory(IdentityReference, Int32, Boolean, InheritanceFlags, PropagationFlags, AuditFlags)	Initializes a new instance of the FileSystemAuditRule class representing the specified audit rule for the specified user.
Equals(Object)	Determines whether the specified object is equal to the current object. (Inherited from Object)
GetAccessRules(Boolean, Boolean, Type)	Gets a collection of the access rules associated with the specified security identifier. (Inherited from CommonObjectSecurity)
GetAuditRules(Boolean, Boolean, Type)	Gets a collection of the audit rules associated with the specified security identifier. (Inherited from CommonObjectSecurity)
GetGroup(Type)	Gets the primary group associated with the specified owner. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
GetHashCode()	Serves as the default hash function. (Inherited from Object)
GetOwner(Type)	Gets the owner associated with the specified primary group. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
GetSecurityDescriptorBinaryForm()	Returns an array of byte values that represents the security descriptor information for this ObjectSecurity object. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
GetSecurityDescriptorSddlForm(AccessControlSections)	Returns the Security Descriptor Definition Language (SDDL) representation of the specified sections of the security descriptor associated with this ObjectSecurity object. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
GetType()	Gets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object)
MemberwiseClone()	Creates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object)
ModifyAccess(AccessControlModification, AccessRule, Boolean)	Applies the specified modification to the Discretionary Access Control List (DACL) associated with this CommonObjectSecurity object. (Inherited from CommonObjectSecurity)
ModifyAccessRule(AccessControlModification, AccessRule, Boolean)	Applies the specified modification to the Discretionary Access Control List (DACL) associated with this ObjectSecurity object. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
ModifyAudit(AccessControlModification, AuditRule, Boolean)	Applies the specified modification to the System Access Control List (SACL) associated with this CommonObjectSecurity object. (Inherited from CommonObjectSecurity)
ModifyAuditRule(AccessControlModification, AuditRule, Boolean)	Applies the specified modification to the System Access Control List (SACL) associated with this ObjectSecurity object. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
Persist(Boolean, String, AccessControlSections)	Saves the specified sections of the security descriptor associated with this ObjectSecurity object to permanent storage. We recommend that the values of the includeSections parameters passed to the constructor and persist methods be identical. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
Persist(SafeHandle, AccessControlSections, Object)	Saves the specified sections of the security descriptor associated with this NativeObjectSecurity object to permanent storage. We recommend that the values of the includeSections parameters passed to the constructor and persist methods be identical. (Inherited from NativeObjectSecurity)
Persist(SafeHandle, AccessControlSections)	Saves the specified sections of the security descriptor associated with this NativeObjectSecurity object to permanent storage. We recommend.persist that the values of the includeSections parameters passed to the constructor and persist methods be identical. (Inherited from NativeObjectSecurity)
Persist(String, AccessControlSections, Object)	Saves the specified sections of the security descriptor associated with this NativeObjectSecurity object to permanent storage. We recommend that the values of the includeSections parameters passed to the constructor and persist methods be identical. (Inherited from NativeObjectSecurity)
Persist(String, AccessControlSections)	Saves the specified sections of the security descriptor associated with this NativeObjectSecurity object to permanent storage. We recommend that the values of the includeSections parameters passed to the constructor and persist methods be identical. (Inherited from NativeObjectSecurity)
PurgeAccessRules(IdentityReference)	Removes all access rules associated with the specified IdentityReference. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
PurgeAuditRules(IdentityReference)	Removes all audit rules associated with the specified IdentityReference. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
ReadLock()	Locks this ObjectSecurity object for read access. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
ReadUnlock()	Unlocks this ObjectSecurity object for read access. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
RemoveAccessRule(AccessRule)	Removes access rules that contain the same security identifier and access mask as the specified access rule from the Discretionary Access Control List (DACL) associated with this CommonObjectSecurity object. (Inherited from CommonObjectSecurity)
RemoveAccessRule(FileSystemAccessRule)	Removes all matching allow or deny access control list (ACL) permissions from the current file or directory.
RemoveAccessRuleAll(AccessRule)	Removes all access rules that have the same security identifier as the specified access rule from the Discretionary Access Control List (DACL) associated with this CommonObjectSecurity object. (Inherited from CommonObjectSecurity)
RemoveAccessRuleAll(FileSystemAccessRule)	Removes all access control list (ACL) permissions for the specified user from the current file or directory.
RemoveAccessRuleSpecific(AccessRule)	Removes all access rules that exactly match the specified access rule from the Discretionary Access Control List (DACL) associated with this CommonObjectSecurity object. (Inherited from CommonObjectSecurity)
RemoveAccessRuleSpecific(FileSystemAccessRule)	Removes a single matching allow or deny access control list (ACL) permission from the current file or directory.
RemoveAuditRule(AuditRule)	Removes audit rules that contain the same security identifier and access mask as the specified audit rule from the System Access Control List (SACL) associated with this CommonObjectSecurity object. (Inherited from CommonObjectSecurity)
RemoveAuditRule(FileSystemAuditRule)	Removes all matching allow or deny audit rules from the current file or directory.
RemoveAuditRuleAll(AuditRule)	Removes all audit rules that have the same security identifier as the specified audit rule from the System Access Control List (SACL) associated with this CommonObjectSecurity object. (Inherited from CommonObjectSecurity)
RemoveAuditRuleAll(FileSystemAuditRule)	Removes all audit rules for the specified user from the current file or directory.
RemoveAuditRuleSpecific(AuditRule)	Removes all audit rules that exactly match the specified audit rule from the System Access Control List (SACL) associated with this CommonObjectSecurity object. (Inherited from CommonObjectSecurity)
RemoveAuditRuleSpecific(FileSystemAuditRule)	Removes a single matching allow or deny audit rule from the current file or directory.
ResetAccessRule(AccessRule)	Removes all access rules in the Discretionary Access Control List (DACL) associated with this CommonObjectSecurity object and then adds the specified access rule. (Inherited from CommonObjectSecurity)
ResetAccessRule(FileSystemAccessRule)	Adds the specified access control list (ACL) permission to the current file or directory and removes all matching ACL permissions.
SetAccessRule(AccessRule)	Removes all access rules that contain the same security identifier and qualifier as the specified access rule in the Discretionary Access Control List (DACL) associated with this CommonObjectSecurity object and then adds the specified access rule. (Inherited from CommonObjectSecurity)
SetAccessRule(FileSystemAccessRule)	Sets the specified access control list (ACL) permission for the current file or directory.
SetAccessRuleProtection(Boolean, Boolean)	Sets or removes protection of the access rules associated with this ObjectSecurity object. Protected access rules cannot be modified by parent objects through inheritance. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
SetAuditRule(AuditRule)	Removes all audit rules that contain the same security identifier and qualifier as the specified audit rule in the System Access Control List (SACL) associated with this CommonObjectSecurity object and then adds the specified audit rule. (Inherited from CommonObjectSecurity)
SetAuditRule(FileSystemAuditRule)	Sets the specified audit rule for the current file or directory.
SetAuditRuleProtection(Boolean, Boolean)	Sets or removes protection of the audit rules associated with this ObjectSecurity object. Protected audit rules cannot be modified by parent objects through inheritance. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
SetGroup(IdentityReference)	Sets the primary group for the security descriptor associated with this ObjectSecurity object. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
SetOwner(IdentityReference)	Sets the owner for the security descriptor associated with this ObjectSecurity object. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
SetSecurityDescriptorBinaryForm(Byte[], AccessControlSections)	Sets the specified sections of the security descriptor for this ObjectSecurity object from the specified array of byte values. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
SetSecurityDescriptorBinaryForm(Byte[])	Sets the security descriptor for this ObjectSecurity object from the specified array of byte values. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
SetSecurityDescriptorSddlForm(String, AccessControlSections)	Sets the specified sections of the security descriptor for this ObjectSecurity object from the specified Security Descriptor Definition Language (SDDL) string. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
SetSecurityDescriptorSddlForm(String)	Sets the security descriptor for this ObjectSecurity object from the specified Security Descriptor Definition Language (SDDL) string. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
ToString()	Returns a string that represents the current object. (Inherited from Object)
WriteLock()	Locks this ObjectSecurity object for write access. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)
WriteUnlock()	Unlocks this ObjectSecurity object for write access. (Inherited from ObjectSecurity)