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 (13342)
An issue in TeraByte Unlimited Image for Windows v.3.64.0.0 and before and fixed in v.4.0.0.0 allows a local attacker to escalate privileges via the TBOFLHelper64.sys and TBOFLHelper.sys component. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The mobile application (com.transsion.videocallenhancer) interface has improper permission control, which can lead to the risk of private file leakage. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Contact Form Plugin by Fluent Forms for Quiz, Survey, and Drag & Drop WP Form Builder plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation due to a missing capability check on the. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and EPSS exploitation probability 27.1%.
When installing Nessus Agent to a directory outside of the default location on a Windows host, Nessus Agent versions prior to 10.6.4 did not enforce secure permissions for sub-directories. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
When installing Nessus to a directory outside of the default location on a Windows host, Nessus versions prior to 10.7.3 did not enforce secure permissions for sub-directories. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A flaw was found in the Submariner project. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable.
Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in Booking Ultra Pro allows Privilege Escalation.1.12. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in WPFactory EAN for WooCommerce allows Privilege Escalation.8.9. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in Darren Cooney Instant Images allows Privilege Escalation.1.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in UkrSolution Barcode Scanner with Inventory & Order Manager allows Privilege Escalation.5.3. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in 8theme XStore Core allows Privilege Escalation.3.8. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in JR King/Eran Schoellhorn WP Masquerade allows Privilege Escalation.1.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in AA-Team WZone allows Privilege Escalation.0.10. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in Astoundify Simple Registration for WooCommerce allows Privilege Escalation.5.6. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in CodeRevolution Demo My WordPress allows Privilege Escalation.0.9.1. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in WP Sharks s2Member Pro allows Privilege Escalation. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in Wholesale WholesaleX allows Privilege Escalation.3.2. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in WP Automatic Automatic allows Privilege Escalation.92.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in WebWizards SalesKing allows Privilege Escalation.6.15. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper input validation in PfrSmiUpdateFw driver in UEFI firmware for some Intel(R) Server M50FCP Family products may allow a privileged user to enable escalation of privilege via local access. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5). No vendor patch available.
Improper buffer restrictions in PlatformPfrDxe driver in UEFI firmware for some Intel(R) Server D50FCP Family products may allow a privileged user to enable escalation of privilege via local access. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5). No vendor patch available.
Improper input validation in UserAuthenticationSmm driver in UEFI firmware for some Intel(R) Server D50DNP Family products may allow a privileged user to enable escalation of privilege via local. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5). No vendor patch available.
Improper input validation in some Intel(R) Neural Compressor software before version 2.5.0 may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via remote access. Rated critical severity (CVSS 10.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Improper input validation in PprRequestLog module in UEFI firmware for some Intel(R) Server D50DNP Family products may allow a privileged user to enable escalation of privilege via local access. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5). No vendor patch available.
Uncontrolled search path in some Intel(R) Inspector software before version 2024.0 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7). No vendor patch available.
Improper input validation in PlatformVariableInitDxe driver in UEFI firmware for some Intel(R) Server D50DNP Family products may allow a privileged user to enable escalation of privilege via local. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2). No vendor patch available.
Improper neutralization in some Intel(R) Arc(TM) & Iris(R) Xe Graphics software before version 31.0.101.5081 may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required. No vendor patch available.
Uncontrolled search path in some Intel(R) Quartus(R) Prime Standard Edition Design software before version 23.1 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Uncontrolled search path in some Intel(R) GPA Framework software before version 2023.4 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.
Uncontrolled search path for some Intel(R) Computing Improvement Program software before version 2.4.0.10654 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7). No vendor patch available.
Uncontrolled search path for some Intel(R) Distribution for GDB software before version 2024.0 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7). No vendor patch available.
Uncontrolled search path in some Intel(R) Quartus(R) Prime Lite Edition Design software before version 23.1 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Insecure inherited permissions in some Intel(R) XTU software before version 7.14.0.15 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.
Uncontrolled search path in some Intel(R) Processor Diagnostic Tool software before version 4.1.9.41 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.
Improper access control in some Intel(R) Ethernet Controller Administrative Tools software before version 28.3 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7). No vendor patch available.
Hardware logic with insecure de-synchronization in Intel(R) DSA and Intel(R) IAA for some Intel(R) 4th or 5th generation Xeon(R) processors may allow an authorized user to potentially enable. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5). No vendor patch available.
Uncontrolled search path in some Intel(R) PCM software before version 202311 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7). No vendor patch available.
Uncontrolled search path for some Intel(R) Chipset Device Software before version 10.1.19444.8378 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Exposure of resource to wrong sphere in some Intel(R) DTT software installers may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.9), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper conditions check for some Intel(R) Quartus(R) Prime Lite Edition Design software before version 23.1 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Uncontrolled search path in some Intel(R) GPA software before version 2023.4 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.
Uncontrolled search path in some Intel(R) Quartus(R) Prime Pro Edition Design software before version 23.4 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Uncontrolled search path in some Intel(R) Processor Identification Utility software before versions 6.10.34.1129, 7.1.6 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7). No vendor patch available.
Uncontrolled search path in some Intel(R) Advisor software before version 2024.0 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.
IBM AIX could 7.2, 7.3, VIOS 3.1, and VIOS 4.1 allow a non-privileged local user to exploit a vulnerability in the invscout command to execute arbitrary commands. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.4), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Visualizer: Tables and Charts Manager for WordPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized modification and retrieval of data due to a missing capability check on the getQueryData(). Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insufficient verification of data authenticity in the installer for Zoom Workplace VDI App for Windows may allow an authenticated user to conduct an escalation of privilege via local access. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insecure Permissions vulnerability in VITEC AvediaServer (Model avsrv-m8105) 8.6.2-1 allows a remote attacker to escalate privileges via a crafted script. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Path Traversal found in OpenText™ iManager 3.2.6.0200. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Grav is a file-based Web platform. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
An issue in Reportico Web before v.8.1.0 allows a local attacker to execute arbitrary code and obtain sensitive information via the sessionid function. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Elevation of privilege vulnerability in GE HealthCare EchoPAC products. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.4), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Microsoft Brokering File System Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability has been identified in SIMATIC RTLS Locating Manager (6GT2780-0DA00) (All versions < V3.0.1.1), SIMATIC RTLS Locating Manager (6GT2780-0DA10) (All versions < V3.0.1.1), SIMATIC RTLS. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability has been identified in SIMATIC RTLS Locating Manager (6GT2780-0DA00) (All versions < V3.0.1.1), SIMATIC RTLS Locating Manager (6GT2780-0DA10) (All versions < V3.0.1.1), SIMATIC RTLS. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability has been identified in SIMATIC RTLS Locating Manager (6GT2780-0DA00) (All versions < V3.0.1.1), SIMATIC RTLS Locating Manager (6GT2780-0DA10) (All versions < V3.0.1.1), SIMATIC RTLS. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A local attacker with low privileges can perform a privilege escalation with an init script due to a TOCTOU vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Dell PowerScale OneFS versions 8.2.x through 9.7.0.1 contains an execution with unnecessary privileges vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An arbitrary file creation vulnerability exists in PaperCut NG/MF that only affects Windows servers with Web Print enabled. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
All versions of EnterpriseDB Postgres Advanced Server (EPAS) from 15.0 prior to 15.7.0 and from 16.0 prior to 16.3.0 may allow users using edbldr to bypass role permissions from pg_read_server_files. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Spectra Pro plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation in all versions up to, and including, 1.1.5. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue in SurveyKing v1.3.1 allows attackers to escalate privileges via re-using the session ID of a user that was deleted by an Admin. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Insecure permission vulnerability in /hrm/leaverequest.php in SourceCodester Human Resource Management System 1.0 allow attackers to approve or reject leave ticket. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Sourcecodester Human Resource Management System 1.0 is vulnerable to Insecure Permissions resulting in privilege escalation. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Privilege escalation vulnerability in the account module Impact: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability will affect availability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Samsung Magician 8.0.0 on macOS. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7). No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Samsung Magician 8.0.0 on macOS. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7). No vendor patch available.
Insecure Permission vulnerability in TotalAV v.6.0.740 allows a local attacker to escalate privileges via a crafted file. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
An issue in Vehicle Management System 7.31.0.3_20230412 allows an attacker to escalate privileges via the login.html component. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A privilege escalation exists in the updater for Plantronics Hub 3.25.1 and below. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue in Panoramic Corporation Digital Imaging Software v.9.1.2.7600 allows a local attacker to escalate privileges via the ccsservice.exe component. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA ChatRTX for Windows contains a vulnerability in ChatRTX UI, where a user can cause an improper privilege management issue by exploiting interprocess communication between different processes. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5). No vendor patch available.
NVIDIA ChatRTX for Windows contains a vulnerability in Chat RTX UI, where a user can cause an improper privilege management issue by sending user inputs to change execution flow. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5). No vendor patch available.
Improper privilege management vulnerability in Lunar software that affects versions 6.0.2 through 6.6.0. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. No vendor patch available.
VMware Avi Load Balancer contains a privilege escalation vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
On Windows a directory returned by tempfile.mkdtemp() would not always have permissions set to restrict reading and writing to the temporary directory by other users, instead usually inheriting the. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.1), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
IBM AIX's Unix domain (AIX 7.2, 7.3, VIOS 3.1, and VIOS 4.1) datagram socket implementation could potentially expose applications using Unix domain datagram sockets with SO_PEERID operation and may. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In migrateNotificationFilter of NotificationManagerService.java, there is a possible failure to persist notifications settings due to improper input validation. 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.
In assertPackageWithSharedUserIdIsPrivileged of InstallPackageHelper.java, there is a possible execution of arbitrary app code as a privileged app due to a logic error in the code. 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.
In multiple functions of NotificationManagerService.java, there is a possible way to not show a toast message when a clipboard message has been accessed. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
In multiple locations, there is a possible permissions bypass due to improper input validation. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
In multiple locations, there is a possible bypass of health data permissions due to an improper input validation. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
In multiple locations, there is a possible failure to persist or enforce user restrictions due to improper input validation. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
In onCreate of WifiDialogActivity.java, there is a possible way to bypass the DISALLOW_ADD_WIFI_CONFIG restriction due to a missing permission check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Missing Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources or perform actions without proper authorization checks.
In multiple locations, there is a possible notification listener grant to an app running in the work profile due to a logic error in the code. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Incorrect Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass authorization checks to access restricted resources.
In sendIntentSender of ActivityManagerService.java, there is a possible background activity launch due to a logic error. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
In multiple methods of UserManagerService.java, there is a possible failure to persist or enforce user restrictions due to improper input validation. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Improper Privilege Management vulnerability could allow attackers to escalate privileges to gain unauthorized elevated access.
A local privilege escalation (LPE) vulnerability has been identified in Phish Alert Button for Outlook (PAB), specifically within its configuration management functionalities. Rated low severity (CVSS 2.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Alcatel-Lucent ALE NOE deskphones through 86x8_NOE-R300.1.40.12.4180 and SIP deskphones through 86x8_SIP-R200.1.01.10.728. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue in HSC Cybersecurity HC Mailinspector 5.2.17-3 through 5.2.18 allows a regular user account to escalate their privileges and gain administrative access by changing the type parameter from 1. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Quick Facts
- Typical Severity
- HIGH
- Category
- auth
- Total CVEs
- 13342