Privilege Escalation
Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.
How It Works
Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted. The attack exploits the gap between what the system thinks a user can do and what they actually can do through manipulation or exploitation.
Vertical escalation is the classic form—a regular user obtaining administrator rights. This happens through kernel exploits that bypass OS-level security, misconfigurations in role-based access control (RBAC) that fail to enforce boundaries, or direct manipulation of authorization tokens and session data. Horizontal escalation involves accessing resources belonging to users at the same privilege level, typically through insecure direct object references (IDOR) where changing an ID in a request grants access to another user's data.
Context-dependent escalation exploits workflow logic by skipping authorization checkpoints. An attacker might access administrative URLs directly without going through proper authentication flows, manipulate parameters to bypass permission checks, or exploit REST API endpoints that don't validate method permissions—like a read-only GET permission that can be leveraged for write operations through protocol upgrades or alternative endpoints.
Impact
- Full system compromise through kernel-level exploits granting root or SYSTEM privileges
- Administrative control over applications, allowing configuration changes, user management, and deployment of malicious code
- Lateral movement across cloud infrastructure, containers, or network segments using escalated service account permissions
- Data exfiltration by accessing databases, file systems, or API endpoints restricted to higher privilege levels
- Persistence establishment through creation of backdoor accounts or modification of system configurations
Real-World Examples
Kubernetes clusters have been compromised through kubelet API misconfigurations where read-only GET permissions on worker nodes could be escalated to remote code execution. Attackers upgraded HTTP connections to WebSockets to access the /exec endpoint, gaining shell access to all pods on the node. This affected over 69 Helm charts including widely-deployed monitoring tools like Prometheus, Grafana, and Datadog agents.
Windows Print Spooler vulnerabilities (PrintNightmare class) allowed authenticated users to execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges by exploiting improper privilege checks in the print service. Attackers loaded malicious DLLs through carefully crafted print jobs, escalating from low-privilege user accounts to full domain administrator access.
Cloud metadata services have been exploited where SSRF vulnerabilities combined with over-permissioned IAM roles allowed attackers to retrieve temporary credentials with elevated permissions, pivoting from compromised web applications to broader cloud infrastructure access.
Mitigation
- Enforce deny-by-default access control where permissions must be explicitly granted rather than implicitly allowed
- Implement consistent authorization checks at every layer—API gateway, application logic, and data access—never relying on client-side or single-point validation
- Apply principle of least privilege with time-limited, scope-restricted permissions and just-in-time access for administrative functions
- Audit permission inheritance and role assignments regularly to identify overly permissive configurations or privilege creep
- Separate execution contexts using containers, sandboxes, or capability-based security to limit blast radius
- Deploy runtime monitoring for unusual privilege usage patterns and anomalous access to restricted resources
Recent CVEs (14613)
Sympa through 6.2.57b.2 allows a local privilege escalation from the sympa user account to full root access by modifying the sympa.conf configuration file (which is owned by sympa) and parsing it. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Dynamic OOO widget for the Elementor Pro plugin through 3.0.5 for WordPress allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary code because only the Editor role is needed to upload executable. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Lack of input sanitization in UpdateRebootMgr service of ALEOS 4.11 and later allow an escalation to root from a low-privilege process. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A logic error in Nextcloud Server 19.0.0 caused a privilege escalation allowing malicious users to reshare with higher permissions than they got assigned themselves. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Improper permissions in the Intel(R) Driver & Support Assistant before version 20.7.26.7 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac 2020 (Consumer) is vulnerable to a symbolic link privilege escalation attack where an attacker could exploit a critical file on the system to escalate their privileges. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA Windows GPU Display Driver, all versions, contains a vulnerability in the NVIDIA Control Panel component in which a user is presented with a dialog box for input by a high-privilege process,. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
`cloudflared` versions prior to 2020.8.1 contain a local privilege escalation vulnerability on Windows systems. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in Trend Micro Apex One may allow a local attacker to manipulate the process of the security agent unload option (if configured), which then could be manipulated to gain a privilege. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in Trend Micro OfficeScan XG SP1 on Microsoft Windows may allow an attacker to create a hard link to any file on the system, which then could be manipulated to gain a privilege. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Brocade Fabric OS versions before Brocade Fabric OS v9.0.0, v8.2.2c, v8.2.1e, v8.1.2k, v8.2.0_CBN3, contains code injection and privilege escalation vulnerability. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper directory permissions in the Hotspot Shield VPN client software for Windows 10.3.0 and earlier may allow an authorized user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
ActFax Version 7.10 Build 0335 (2020-05-25) is susceptible to a privilege escalation vulnerability due to insecure folder permissions on %PROGRAMFILES%\ActiveFax\Client\,. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Insecure permissions in Nakivo Backup & Replication Director version 9.4.0.r43656 on Linux allow local users to access the Nakivo Director web interface and gain root privileges. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in the implementation of the Low Power, Wide Area (LPWA) subsystem of Cisco IOS Software for Cisco 800 Series Industrial Integrated Services Routers (Industrial ISRs) and Cisco 1000. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in the application-hosting subsystem of Cisco IOS XE Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate privileges to root on an affected device. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
ismartgate PRO 1.5.9 is vulnerable to privilege escalation by appending PHP code to /cron/checkUserExpirationDate.php. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
ismartgate PRO 1.5.9 is vulnerable to privilege escalation by appending PHP code to /cron/checkExpirationDate.php. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
ismartgate PRO 1.5.9 is vulnerable to privilege escalation by appending PHP code to /cron/mailAdmin.php. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
A missing CAP_NET_RAW check in NFC socket creation in net/nfc/rawsock.c in the Linux kernel before 5.8.2 could be used by local attackers to create raw sockets, bypassing security mechanisms, aka. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Incorrect Default Permissions vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources due to overly permissive default settings.
An issue was discovered in Xen through 4.14.x. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
An issue was discovered in Xen through 4.14.x. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Improper Privilege Management vulnerability could allow attackers to escalate privileges to gain unauthorized elevated access.
Insufficient policy enforcement in installer in Google Chrome on OS X prior to 85.0.4183.102 allowed a local attacker to potentially achieve privilege escalation via a crafted binary. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Citrix ADC and Citrix Gateway 13.0 before 13.0-64.35, Citrix ADC and NetScaler Gateway 12.1 before 12.1-58.15, Citrix ADC 12.1-FIPS before 12.1-55.187, Citrix ADC and NetScaler Gateway 12.0, Citrix. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel in versions before 5.9-rc6. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.6), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In NetworkStackNotifier, there is a possible permissions bypass due to an unsafe implicit PendingIntent. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In NFC, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In iptables, there is a possible out of bounds write due to an incorrect bounds check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In NFC, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In NFC, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In NFC, there is a possible out of bounds write due to uninitialized data. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In NFC, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In the Bluetooth server, there is a possible out of bounds write due to an integer overflow. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In Bluetooth, there is a possible spoofing of bluetooth device metadata due to a missing permission check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In Bluetooth, there is a possible control over Bluetooth enabled state due to a missing permission check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In bindWallpaperComponentLocked of WallpaperManagerService.java, there is a possible permission bypass due to an unsafe PendingIntent. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In hwservicemanager, there is a possible out of bounds write due to freeing a wild pointer. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In the Settings app, there is an insecure default value. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In NFC, there is a possible use-after-free due to a race condition. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4). No vendor patch available.
In WiFi tethering, there is a possible attacker controlled intent due to an unsafe PendingIntent. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In the audio server, there is a missing permission check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In libmpeg2dec, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In Telephony, there is a possible permission bypass due to a missing permission check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In NFC, there is a possible permission bypass due to an unsafe PendingIntent. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In libavb, there is a possible out of bounds write due to an integer overflow. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In PackageInstaller, there is a possible permissions bypass due to a tapjacking vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In Notification Access Confirmation, there is a possible permissions bypass due to uninformed consent. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In SurfaceFlinger, there is a possible use after free due to a race condition. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4). No vendor patch available.
In SurfaceFlinger, there is a possible use-after-free due to improper locking. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In the Audio HAL, there is a possible out of bounds write due to an incorrect bounds check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In Mediaserver, there is a possible out of bounds write due to an integer overflow. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In DocumentsUI, there is a possible permission bypass due to a confused deputy. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In DisplayManager, there is a possible permission bypass due to a missing permission check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In SurfaceFlinger, there is possible memory corruption due to type confusion. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In iorap, there is a possible memory corruption due to a use after free. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In LLVM, there is a possible ineffective stack cookie placement due to stack frame double reservation. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In NetworkPolicyManagerService, there is a possible permissions bypass due to a missing permission check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In MediaProvider, there is a possible way to access ContentResolver and MediaStore entries the app shouldn't have access to due to a permissions bypass. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In WindowManager, there is a possible launch of an unexpected app due to a confused deputy. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In factory reset protection, there is a possible FRP bypass due to a missing permission check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In screencap, there is a possible command injection due to improper input validation. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In Pixel's use of the Catpipe library, there is possible memory corruption due to a use after free. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In blk_mq_queue_tag_busy_iter of blk-mq-tag.c, there is a possible use after free due to improper locking. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
In skb_to_mamac of networking.c, there is a possible out of bounds write due to an integer overflow. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
In kbd_keycode of keyboard.c, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Out-of-bounds Write vulnerability could allow attackers to write data beyond allocated buffer boundaries leading to code execution or crashes.
In skb_headlen of /include/linux/skbuff.h, there is a possible out of bounds read due to memory corruption. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In l2tp_session_delete and related functions of l2tp_core.c, there is possible memory corruption due to a use after free. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
In CamX code, there is a possible use after free due to a race condition. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4). No vendor patch available.
In the FPC TrustZone fingerprint App, there is a possible invalid command handler due to an exposed test feature. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In manifest files of the SmartSpace package, there is a possible tapjacking vector due to a missing permission check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A sandbox escape issue was discovered in TitanHQ SpamTitan Gateway 7.07. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
In uvc_scan_chain_forward of uvc_driver.c, there is a possible linked list corruption due to an unusual root cause. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In setInstallerPackageName of PackageManagerService.java, there is a missing permission check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In onCreate of BluetoothPairingDialog.java, there is a possible tapjacking vector due to an insecure default value. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In getLayerDebugInfo of SurfaceFlinger.cpp, there is a possible code execution due to a double free. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In applyPolicy of PackageManagerService.java, there is possible arbitrary command execution as System due to an unenforced protected-broadcast. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In the app zygote SE Policy, there is a possible permissions bypass. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Incorrect Default Permissions vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources due to overly permissive default settings.
In createEmergencyLocationUserNotification of GnssVisibilityControl.java, there is a possible permissions bypass due to an empty mutable PendingIntent. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Incorrect Default Permissions vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources due to overly permissive default settings.
In onCreate of RequestPermissionActivity.java, there is a possible tapjacking vector due to an insecure default value. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
In verifyIntentFiltersIfNeeded of PackageManagerService.java, there is a possible settings bypass allowing an app to become the default handler for arbitrary domains. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Improper Privilege Management vulnerability could allow attackers to escalate privileges to gain unauthorized elevated access.
VMware Fusion (11.x) contains a privilege escalation vulnerability due to the way it allows configuring the system wide path. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7). No vendor patch available.
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel before 5.9-rc4. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Privilege Escalation vulnerability in McAfee Web Gateway (MWG) prior to 9.2.1 allows authenticated user interface user to access protected dashboard data via improper access control in the user. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Privilege Escalation vulnerability in McAfee Web Gateway (MWG) prior to 9.2.1 allows authenticated user interface user to access protected configuration files via improper access control in the user. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Privilege Escalation vulnerability in McAfee Web Gateway (MWG) prior to 9.2.1 allows authenticated user interface user to delete or download protected log data via improper access controls in the. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.6), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Privilege Escalation vulnerability in McAfee Web Gateway (MWG) prior to 9.2.1 allows authenticated user interface user to delete or download protected files via improper access controls in the REST. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.6), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Privilege Escalation vulnerability in McAfee Web Gateway (MWG) prior to 9.2.1 allows authenticated user interface user with low permissions to change the system's root password via improper access. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.0), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A flaw was found in X.Org Server before xorg-x11-server 1.20.9. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
A flaw was found in X.Org Server before xorg-x11-server 1.20.9. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
The ScratchSig extension for MediaWiki before version 1.0.1 allows stored Cross-Site Scripting. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability could allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
Quick Facts
- Typical Severity
- HIGH
- Category
- auth
- Total CVEs
- 14613