For anyone wondering how to properly troubleshoot in this manner without breaking things:
Run 'sudo su www -s /bin/bash'. using '-s /bin/bash' will override the usual nologin shell, and running 'su' as root will mean a passwordless account can be su'd too.
This will allow you to try accessing files and directories as if you had the user 'www's privileges without having to make the 'www' account regularly usable.
You should never set a real shell or password for any accounts that a real user will not be using.
Run 'sudo su www -s /bin/bash'. using '-s /bin/bash' will override the usual nologin shell, and running 'su' as root will mean a passwordless account can be su'd too.
This will allow you to try accessing files and directories as if you had the user 'www's privileges without having to make the 'www' account regularly usable.
You should never set a real shell or password for any accounts that a real user will not be using.