I am attempting to backdate timestamps with touch as per this attempt

[root@gs gordy]# touch -a 200801181640.57 -m 200801181640.57 honeytoken.txt
[root@gs gordy]# stat honeytoken.txt
File: `honeytoken.txt'
Size: 4 Blocks: 8 IO Block: 4096 regular file
Device: 801h/2049d Inode: 100676311 Links: 1
Access: (0664/-rw-rw-r--) Uid: ( 500/ gordy) Gid: ( 500/ gordy)
Access: 2008-01-18 17:05:46.059281539 +0900
Modify: 2008-01-18 17:05:46.059281539 +0900
Change: 2008-01-18 17:05:46.059281539 +0900

according to my Distro Mdv it wants
yyyy mm dd (4digit24hour) . second
2008 01 18 1640 (=4:40pm) . 57 seconds


Can anyone see where I am going wrong. If I am not going wrong then my distro is more secured than I thought!!!

any assistance would be appreciated. I have read man touch and tried an old way of running timestamp
mmddhhmmyy but it complained.

Try with the syntax I've tested on my box.

yeah thanks for that format, dunno why mine failed oh well here is atime and mtime

[gordy@gs ~]$ stat honeytoken.txt
File: `honeytoken.txt'
Size: 4 Blocks: 8 IO Block: 4096 regular file
Device: 801h/2049d Inode: 100676311 Links: 1
Access: (0664/-rw-rw-r--) Uid: ( 500/ gordy) Gid: ( 500/ gordy)
Access: 2008-01-18 16:40:57.000000000 +0900
Modify: 2008-01-18 17:05:46.059281000 +0900
Change: 2008-01-18 19:30:04.489802652 +0900

[gordy@gs ~]$ touch -a --date="2008-01-18 16:40:57 +0900" -c --date="2008-01-18 16:40:57 +0900" honeytoken.txt
[gordy@gs ~]$ stat honeytoken.txt
File: `honeytoken.txt'
Size: 4 Blocks: 8 IO Block: 4096 regular file
Device: 801h/2049d Inode: 100676311 Links: 1
Access: (0664/-rw-rw-r--) Uid: ( 500/ gordy) Gid: ( 500/ gordy)
Access: 2008-01-18 16:40:57.000000000 +0900
Modify: 2008-01-18 16:40:57.000000000 +0900
Change: 2008-01-18 19:32:52.992344718 +0900




Question?

How do we backdate the change time? I tried (blindly) a -c switch and no good


Question (2) if change time can not be backdated, (I hope) can we use stat to detect the change, in which case your proposal on the other thread may be averted?

I am really hoping this is true as man touch has no change time AFAIK and page 34 Linux Desk Reference has not change time flag either.

To be blunt, the honeytoken will still work...but maybe not thru Tripwire but thru stat?