Default access permissions

When you create a file or directory its access permissions are set to a default value. These are usually:

rw-------: gives you read and write permission for your files; no access permissions for the group or others.
rwx------: gives you read write and execute permission for your directories; no access permissions for the group or others.

Access permissions for your home directory are usually set to rwx--x--x or rwxr-xr-x.