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'sweep' command installs itself into /usr/local and changes permissions, wreaking havoc on Homebrew

Sophos installs a sweep command into /usr/local/bin, and a few auxiliary files. Doing this, Sophos also changes ownership of /usr/local and several sub-directories. This wreaks havoc with Howebrew, which by default installs to /usr/local and expects it to be writable by the "main user". In general, /usr/local should not be used by non-user controlled installations.

A more polite way would be for Sophos to install its commands to /opt/sophos, and asking the user to and relevant paths if they wish to use the tools.

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0 serra over 9 years ago in reply to serra

Hey all,

Just wanted to let you know that the fix for this should go out within the first half of November 2015.

Cheers,
Serra
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0 StevenMajor over 9 years ago in reply to serra

Thank you Serra. Would you be able to followup when the fix does go out along with the version number of the release so that we can all be sure to 1) update and 2) accurately report any lingering issues? Thank you again.
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0 LoneDev over 9 years ago

Glad to see a fix is coming. I've been temporarily getting around it by doing a `chgrp` to admin and `chmod g+w` to all of `/usr/local`. I read it's a good idea to NOT change the owner of /usr/local from root. After the fix, will doing this once prevent the permissions changing again?
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0 serra over 9 years ago in reply to StevenMajor

you bet I will! I just saw a notification that the fix is currently in QA so it's definitely in the works, and i'll let y'all know as soon as it's available.
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0 MikeLane over 9 years ago

Here is a bit of a workaround... Add this function to your ~/.bash_profile

# Freshen up your brew.
freshbrew() {
me="$(whoami)"

file1="$(stat /usr/local/bin | awk '{ print $5 }')"
file2="$(stat /usr/local/share | awk '{ print $5 }')"

if [ "$me" != "$file1" ]; then
echo -e "Need to chown /usr/local/bin"
sudo chown -R $(whoami):admin /usr/local/bin
fi

if [ "$me" != "$file2" ]; then
echo -e "Need to chown /usr/local/share"
sudo chown -R $(whoami):admin /usr/local/share
fi

brew doctor
brew update
brew upgrade
brew cleanup
brew prune
}

Source your bash_profile and then run it by typing freshbrew at the command prompt. If you need to chown, you'll be asked for your password. Otherwise, you won't and you'll be able to brew like normal.
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0 serra over 9 years ago in reply to MikeLane

Hey thanks for sharing that Mike! I'm curious if anyone else has had success with this workaround?
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0 AndyStanton over 9 years ago

Is there any update on when the fix will be available?
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0 LouisBergelson over 9 years ago

This is an extremely irritating problem. Please fix this as soon as possible.
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0 serra over 9 years ago

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to let you know that we hope to release the next update (9.4.1) by the end of next week (Nov 20th).

Thanks all for your patience!
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0 serra over 9 years ago in reply to serra

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to let you know that SAV 9.4.1 is now available, and includes the fix for this issue. Most endpoints should automatically receive the latest during their next update.

If you have any issues please let us know, and thanks so much for your patience.
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