This string represents the file's permissions, broken down as follows:
- The first character (
-): Indicates the file type (- for a regular file, d for a directory). - The next three characters (
rw-): Permissions for the owner (read and write). - The next three characters (
r--): Permissions for the group (read-only). - The last three characters (
r--): Permissions for others (read-only).