The fastest way to resolve this issue will be to re-install your OS. Changing the ownership of every file and directory is a non-recoverable error for someone who is not heavily invested in knowing how the operating system works.
– matigoMay 25 '22 at 05:30
Restoring data from your backups is likely easiest... You can also create a script that will restore the file metadata (ie. filestats) from your backups & restore only the file-permissions onto your actual file-system (*a good learning exercise in my opinion*) but it'll take far longer than a backup restore, or re-install (*but the exercise tends to make you learn not to do it again; why new-hires are made to correct it this way*), but it's up to you. You've not provided any OS/release details; but you can re-install a Ubuntu Desktop system easily without losing data (don't format!)
– guivercMay 25 '22 at 05:50
Does this answer your question? [accidentally ran sudo chmod 700 /\*](https://askubuntu.com/questions/1410402/accidentally-ran-sudo-chmod-700)
– cocomacMay 25 '22 at 05:53
FYI: For certain files, eg. `sudoers` , at the first error the read of the file is terminated with the error being treated as the EOF marker (*ie. end of file*).. The effect is that if file-permissions are not as they should be, no actual data is read; so any data within your `sudoers` won't be read until it's file permissions are restored to valid values. That may require certain files to be fixed from *live* media
– guivercMay 25 '22 at 05:53