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 (13376)
Authenticated (subscriber+) Plugin Setting change vulnerability in WP Shamsi plugin <= 4.1.1 at WordPress. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Custom permission misuse vulnerability in SystemUI prior to SMR Sep-2022 Release 1 allows attacker to use some protected functions with SystemUI privilege. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Unauthenticated Plugin Settings Change & Data Deletion vulnerabilities in WP Shop plugin <= 3.9.6 at WordPress. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In affected versions of Octopus Deploy it is possible to upload a package to built-in feed with insufficient permissions after re-indexing packages. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
UBports Ubuntu Touch 16.04 allows the screen-unlock passcode to be used for a privileged shell via Sudo. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
GoCD is a continuous delivery server. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Improper Privilege Management vulnerability could allow attackers to escalate privileges to gain unauthorized elevated access.
Multiple SQLi vulnerabilities in Webadmin allow for privilege escalation from admin to super-admin in Sophos Firewall older than version 18.5 MR4 and version 19.0 MR1. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
XWiki Platform Old Core is a core package for XWiki Platform, a generic wiki platform. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
A Incorrect Default Permissions vulnerability in the packaging of the slurm testsuite of openSUSE Factory allows local attackers with control over the slurm user to escalate to root. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.3). Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Missing Access Control vulnerability in PHP Crafts Accommodation System plugin <= 1.0.1 at WordPress. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Missing Access Control vulnerability in About Rentals. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Broken Access Control vulnerability in Alessio Caiazza's About Me plugin <= 1.0.12 at WordPress. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in YSoft SAFEQ 6 before 6.0.72. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
IObit Malware Fighter v9.2 for Microsoft Windows lacks tamper protection, allowing authenticated attackers with Administrator privileges to modify processes within the application and escalate. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
PCProtect Endpoint prior to v5.17.470 for Microsoft Windows lacks tamper protection, allowing authenticated attackers with Administrator privileges to modify processes within the application and. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Broken Access Control vulnerability in Beaver Builder plugin <= 2.5.4.3 at WordPress. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An improper privilege management vulnerability [CWE-269] in Fortinet FortiSOAR before 7.2.1 allows a GUI user who has already found a way to modify system files (via another, unrelated and. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability was found in the PCS project. 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 aie, 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 MtkEmail, there is a possible escalation of privilege due to fragment injection. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In preloader (usb), there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.6), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In rpmb, 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 audio ipi, 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 audio ipi, 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 vow, 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 vow, there is a possible undefined behavior due to an API misuse. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In vow, 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 vow, 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 vow, 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 gz, there is a possible memory corruption due to incorrect error handling. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In teei, there is a possible memory corruption due to an integer overflow. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In teei, 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 ged, there is a possible use after free due to improper locking. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In apusys, there is a possible use after free due to a race condition. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4). No vendor patch available.
In apusys, 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 apusys, 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.
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of AOS-CX could allow a remote authenticated user with read-only privileges to escalate their permissions to those of an administrative user. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
TOTOLINK A3002R TOTOLINK-A3002R-He-V1.1.1-B20200824.0128 is vulnerable to Insecure Permissions via binary /bin/boa. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
influxData influxDB before v1.8.10 contains no authentication mechanism or controls, allowing unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Incorrect Default Permissions vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources due to overly permissive default settings.
Dell Command Update, Dell Update and Alienware Update versions prior to 4.6.0 contains a Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability in the custom catalog configuration. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Samba does not validate the Validated-DNS-Host-Name right for the dNSHostName attribute which could permit unprivileged users to write it. 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.
A flaw was found in the Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
HashiCorp Boundary up to 0.10.1 did not properly perform data integrity checks to ensure the resources were associated with the correct scopes, allowing potential privilege escalation for authorized. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Measuresoft ScadaPro Server and Client (All Versions) do not properly resolve links before file access; this could allow privilege escalation.. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Unisphere for PowerMax versions before 9.2.3.15 contain a privilege escalation vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.0), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel’s implementation of IO-URING. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Use After Free vulnerability could allow attackers to access freed memory to execute arbitrary code or crash the application.
An issue in the installer of gvim 9.0.0000 allows authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code via a binary hijacking attack on C:\Program.exe. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A flaw was found in the QEMU virtio-fs shared file system daemon (virtiofsd) implementation. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
The Samba AD DC includes checks when adding service principals names (SPNs) to an account to ensure that SPNs do not alias with those already in the database. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Incorrect Default Permissions vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources due to overly permissive default settings.
This issue was addressed with improved checks. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
VMware Tools (12.0.0, 11.x.y and 10.x.y) contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability. 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.
Unauthenticated plugin settings change vulnerability in 59sec THE Leads Management System: 59sec LITE plugin <= 3.4.1 at WordPress. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Authenticated Arbitrary Settings Update vulnerability in YooMoney ЮKassa для WooCommerce plugin <= 2.3.0 at WordPress. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity.
A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the session id functionality of WWBN AVideo 11.6 and dev master commit 3f7c0364. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Authentication Bypass vulnerability in miniOrange WP OAuth Server plugin <= 3.0.4 at WordPress. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Exposure of Private Personal Information to an Unauthorized Actor in GitHub repository notrinos/notrinoserp prior to v0.7. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
XXL-JOB all versions as of 11 July 2022 are vulnerable to Insecure Permissions resulting in the ability to execute admin function with low Privilege account. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In affected versions of Octopus Deploy it is possible to unmask sensitive variables by using variable preview. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Improper Privilege Management vulnerability could allow attackers to escalate privileges to gain unauthorized elevated access.
Improper buffer restrictions in the firmware for some Intel(R) NUC Laptop Kits before version BC0076 may allow a privileged user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Buffer Overflow vulnerability could allow attackers to corrupt memory to execute arbitrary code or crash the application.
Improper input validation in the firmware for some Intel(R) NUC Laptop Kits before version BC0076 may allow a privileged user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via physical access. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.2), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Improper input validation in the firmware for some Intel(R) NUC Laptop Kits before version BC0076 may allow a privileged user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Improper initialization in the firmware for some Intel(R) NUC Laptop Kits before version BC0076 may allow a privileged user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via physical access. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Insufficiently protected credentials for Intel(R) AMT and Intel(R) Standard Manageability may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable information disclosure and escalation of privilege. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper buffer restriction in the firmware for some Intel(R) NUC Laptop Kits before version BC0076 may allow a privileged user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Buffer Overflow vulnerability could allow attackers to corrupt memory to execute arbitrary code or crash the application.
Improper access control in firmware for Intel(R) AMT and Intel(R) Standard Manageability may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via physical access. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper initialization in the firmware for some Intel(R) NUC Laptop Kits before version BC0076 may allow a privileged user to potentially enable an escalation of privilege via local access. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
A privilege escalation flaw was found in the Ansible Automation Platform. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The Zoom Client for Meetings for macOS (Standard and for IT Admin) starting with version 5.7.3 and before 5.11.6 contains a vulnerability in the auto update process. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Uncontrolled search path in the Intel(R) Distribution for Python before version 2022.0.3 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.
Incorrect default permissions for the Intel(R) Support Android application before 21.07.40 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable information disclosure via local access. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insufficiently protected credentials in the installation binaries for Intel(R) SEAPI in all versions 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 the installation binaries for Intel(R) SEAPI all versions 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.
Incorrect default permissions in the installation binaries for Intel(R) SEAPI all versions 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 the Intel(R) DSA software for before version 22.2.14 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via adjacent access. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.0), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Uncontrolled search path element in the Intel(R) Enpirion(R) Digital Power Configurator GUI software, all versions may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper access control in the Intel(R) Edge Insights for Industrial software before version 2.6.1 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.
Authentication bypass for the Open AMT Cloud Toolkit software maintained by Intel(R) before versions 2.0.2 and 2.2.2 may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Incorrect Default Permissions vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources due to overly permissive default settings.
Uncontrolled search path elements in the Intel(R) Datacenter Group Event Android application, all versions, may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper access control in the Intel(R) Data Center Manager software before version 4.1 may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via adjacent access. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper authentication in the Intel(R) Edge Insights for Industrial software before version 2.6.1 may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via network access. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper access control in the Intel(R) HAXM software before version 7.7.1 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 elements in the Intel(R) VTune(TM) Profiler software before version 2022.2.0 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.
Improper buffer restrictions for some Intel(R) NUC 9 Extreme Laptop Kit drivers before version 2.2.0.22 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 neutralization in the Intel(R) Data Center Manager software before version 4.1 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via adjacent access. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.0), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Improper input validation for some Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi and Killer(TM) WiFi products may allow a privileged user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Out of bounds write for some Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi products may allow a privileged user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access. 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.
Improper access control in the Intel(R) Edge Insights for Industrial software before version 2.6.1 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.
Inadequate encryption strength for some Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi products may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via adjacent access. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity.
An improper privilege management vulnerability in McAfee Security Scan Plus (MSS+) before 4.1.262.1 could allow a local user to modify a configuration file and perform a LOLBin (Living off the land). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
An issue was discovered in Qualys Cloud Agent 4.8.0-49. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Quick Facts
- Typical Severity
- HIGH
- Category
- auth
- Total CVEs
- 13376