Cyber security

Windows Local Privilege Escalation Cookbook (In Progress)

Description (Keynote)

This Cookbook was created with the main purpose of helping people understand local privilege escalation techniques on Windows environments. Moreover, it can be used for both attacking and defensive purposes.

ℹ️ This Cookbook focuses only on misconfiguration vulnerabilities on Windows workstations/servers/machines.

Evasion techniques to bypass security protections, endpoints, and antivirus are not included in this cookbook. I created this PowerShell script, TurnOffAV.ps1, which permanently disables Windows Defender. Run this with local Administrator privileges.

The main structure of this Cookbook includes the following sections:

  • Description (of the vulnerability)
  • Lab Setup
  • Enumeration
  • Exploitation
  • Mitigation
  • (Useful) References

I hope to find this CookBook useful and learn new stuff .

Useful Tools

In the following table, some popular and useful tools for Windows local privilege escalation are presented:

NameLanguageAuthorDescription
SharpUpC#@harmj0ySharpUp is a C# port of various PowerUp functionality
PowerUpPowerShell@harmj0yPowerUp aims to be a clearinghouse of common Windows privilege escalation
BeRootPythonAlessandroZBeRoot(s) is a post exploitation tool to check common Windows misconfigurations to find a way to escalate our privilege
PrivescPowerShellenjoizWindows PowerShell script that finds misconfiguration issues which can lead to privilege escalation
WinpeasC#@hacktricks_liveWindows local Privilege Escalation Awesome Script
PrivescCheckPowerShell@itm4nPrivilege Escalation Enumeration Script for Windows

Vulnerabilities

This Cookbook presents the following Windows vulnerabilities:

Varshini

Varshini is a Cyber Security expert in Threat Analysis, Vulnerability Assessment, and Research. Passionate about staying ahead of emerging Threats and Technologies.

Recent Posts

cp Command: Copy Files and Directories in Linux

The cp command, short for "copy," is the main Linux utility for duplicating files and directories. Whether…

6 days ago

Image OSINT

Introduction In digital investigations, images often hold more information than meets the eye. With the…

6 days ago

cat Command: Read and Combine File Contents in Linux

The cat command short for concatenate, It is a fast and versatile tool for viewing and merging…

6 days ago

Port In Networking

What is a Port? A port in networking acts like a gateway that directs data…

6 days ago

ls Command: List Directory Contents in Linux

The ls command is fundamental for anyone working with Linux. It’s used to display the files and…

6 days ago

pwd Command: Find Your Location in Linux

The pwd (Print Working Directory) command is essential for navigating the Linux filesystem. It instantly shows your…

6 days ago