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 (14610)
Improper input validation in some Intel(R) NUC BIOS firmware 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.
Out-of-bounds write in some Intel(R) RealSense(TM) ID software for Intel(R) RealSense(TM) 450 FA in version 0.25.0 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 buffer restrictions in some Intel(R) RealSense(TM) ID software for Intel(R) RealSense(TM) 450 FA in version 0.25.0 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect default permissions in some Intel(R) RealSense(TM) SDKs in version 2.53.1 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.
Improper buffer restrictions in some Intel(R) RealSense(TM) ID software for Intel(R) RealSense(TM) 450 FA in version 0.25.0 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper input validation in some Intel(R) NUC Rugged Kit, Intel(R) NUC Kit and Intel(R) Compute Element BIOS firmware may allow a privileged user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect default permissions in the MAVinci Desktop Software for Intel(R) Falcon 8+ before version 6.2 may allow 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 Intel(R) ITS sofware before version 3.1 may allow 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 some Intel(R) SDP Tool software before version 1.4 build 5 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 input validation in BIOS firmware for some Intel(R) NUCs 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. No vendor patch available.
Uncontrolled search path element in some Intel(R) PSR SDK before version 1.0.0.20 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.
Uncontrolled search path in some Intel(R) oneAPI Toolkit and component software installers before version 4.3.1.493 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Buffer overflow in some Intel(R) SSD Tools software before version mdadm-4.2-rc2 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. No vendor patch available.
Improper access control in firmware for some Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi software for Windows before version 22.220 HF (Hot Fix) may allow a privileged user to potentially enable escalation of. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Insecure inherited permissions in some Intel(R) oneMKL software before version 2022.0 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.
Uncontrolled search path in the Intel(R) Distribution of OpenVINO(TM) Toolkit before version 2022.3.0 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.
Uncontrolled search path for the Intel(R) AI Hackathon software before version 2.0.0 may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via network access. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Cross-site scripting (XSS) for the Intel(R) DSA software before version 23.1.9 may allow unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via network access. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.
Improper buffer restrictions in the Intel(R) Optimization for Tensorflow software before version 2.12 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 some Intel(R) Advanced Link Analyzer Standard Edition software installers before version 22.1 .1 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect default permissions in the Intel(R) Support android application before version v23.02.07 may allow a privileged user to potentially enable information disclosure via local access. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.4), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper access control in some Intel(R) oneAPI Toolkit and component software installers before version 4.3.1.493 may allow a privileged user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper input validation for the Intel(R) Easy Streaming Wizard software 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 element in some Intel(R) VCUST Tool software downloaded before February 3nd 2023 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) Ethernet Controller RDMA driver for linux before version 1.9.30 may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via network. 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) Unite(R) Hub software installer for Windows before version 4.2.34962 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 some Intel(R) Unison(TM) software before version 10.12 may allow a privileged user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via network access. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Uncontrolled search path element in the Intel(R) Unite(R) Client software for Mac before version 4.2.11 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 element in some Intel(R) Quartus(R) Prime Pro and Standard edition software for linux 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. No vendor patch available.
Uncontrolled search path element for some ITE Tech consumer infrared drivers before version 5.5.2.1 for Intel(R) NUC may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Unquoted search path in the software installer for the System Firmware Update Utility (SysFwUpdt) for some Intel(R) Server Boards and Intel(R) Server Systems Based on Intel(R) 621A Chipset before. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Improper input validation in some Intel(R) NUC BIOS firmware 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.
Parcel mismatch in AuthenticationConfig prior to SMR Aug-2023 Release 1 allows local attacker to privilege escalation. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper privilege management vulnerability in MMIGroup prior to SMR Aug-2023 Release 1 allows code execution with privilege. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insecure permissions in the configuration directory (/conf/) of OPNsense Community Edition before 23.7 and Business Edition before 23.4.2 allow attackers to access sensitive information (e.g., hashed. 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.
In PHOENIX CONTACTs WP 6xxx series web panels in versions prior to 4.0.10 the SNMP daemon is running with root privileges allowing a remote attacker with knowledge of the SNMPv2 r/w community string. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Real Estate Manager plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation in versions up to, and including, 7.2 due to insufficient restriction on the 'rem_save_profile_front' function. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Improper neutralization of special elements in Zoom Desktop Client for Windows and Zoom VDI Client before 5.15.2 may allow an unauthenticated user to enable an escalation of privilege via network. 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 Zoom Desktop Client for Windows before 5.14.7 may allow an unauthenticated user to enable an 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.
Insufficient verification of data authenticity in Zoom Desktop Client for Windows before 5.14.5 may allow an authenticated user to enable an escalation of privilege via network access. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Untrusted search path in the installer for Zoom Desktop Client for Windows before 5.14.5 may allow an authenticated user to enable an escalation of privilege via local access. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Path traversal in Zoom Desktop Client for Windows before 5.14.7 may allow an unauthenticated user to enable an 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.
A potential vulnerability was reported in Radeon™ Software Crimson ReLive Edition which may allow escalation of privilege. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability has been identified in SICAM TOOLBOX II (All versions < V07.10). Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
In MongoDB Ops Manager v5.0 prior to 5.0.22 and v6.0 prior to 6.0.17 it is possible for an authenticated user with project owner or project user admin access to generate an API key with the. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Cryptomator encrypts data being stored on cloud infrastructure. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
In wlan service, there is a possible out of bounds write due to improper input validation. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In wlan service, there is a possible out of bounds write due to improper input validation. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In wlan service, there is a possible out of bounds write due to improper input validation. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In wlan service, there is a possible out of bounds write due to improper input validation. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In IOMMU, 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 vdec, 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 OPTEE, 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 dpe, 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 hcp, 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 imgsys, 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 imgsys, 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 imgsys, there is a possible memory corruption due to improper input validation. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In imgsys, there is a possible memory corruption due to improper input validation. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In imgsys, there is a possible use after free due to a race condition. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4). No vendor patch available.
In imgsys, there is a possible system crash due to a mssing ptr check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In camera middleware, 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 ril, 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 thermal, there is a possible use after free due to a race condition. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4). No vendor patch available.
In thermal, there is a possible use after free due to a race condition. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4). No vendor patch available.
In gps, 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 audio, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4). No vendor patch available.
In keyinstall, 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 keyinstall, 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 DRM/oemcrypto, there is a possible out of bounds write due to an incorrect calculation of buffer size.This could lead to remote escalation of privilege with System execution privileges needed. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The WP Ultimate CSV Importer plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to privilege escalation in versions up to, and including, 7.9.8 due to insufficient restriction on the 'get_header_values' function. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable. This Improper Privilege Management vulnerability could allow attackers to escalate privileges to gain unauthorized elevated access.
Pimcore is an Open Source Data & Experience Management Platform: PIM, MDM, CDP, DAM, DXP/CMS & Digital Commerce. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Path Traversal vulnerability could allow attackers to access files and directories outside the intended path.
A user is capable of assigning him/herself to arbitrary groups by reusing a POST request issued by an administrator. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in the privilege management functionality of all Cisco BroadWorks server types could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate privileges to root on an affected system. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Fabasoft Cloud Enterprise Client 23.3.0.130 allows a user to escalate their privileges to local administrator. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A broken access control was found allowing for privileged escalation of the operator account to gain administrator privileges. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Through manipulation of passwords or other variables, using commands such as portcfgupload, configupload, license, myid, a non-privileged user could obtain root privileges in Brocade Fabric OS. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A vulnerability in the fosexec command of Brocade Fabric OS after Brocade Fabric OS v9.1.0 and, before Brocade Fabric OS v9.1.1 could allow a local authenticated user to perform privilege escalation. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
TeleAdapt RoomCast TA-2400 1.0 through 3.1 is vulnerable to Improper Privilege Management: from the shell available after an adb connection, simply entering the su command provides root access. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The issue was addressed with improved checks. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA before 2023.2 plugin for Space was requesting excessive permissions. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Local user may lead to privilege escalation using Gaia Portal hostnames page. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Apptainer is an open source container platform. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.3), 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.
Cryptomator is data encryption software for users who store their files in the cloud. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
A vulnerability exists by allowing low-privileged users to read and update the data in various directories used by the Zenon system. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Atera Agent through 1.8.3.6 on Windows Creates a Temporary File in a Directory with Insecure Permissions. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A double-free vulnerability was found in handling vmw_buffer_object objects in the vmwgfx driver in the Linux kernel. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Privilege escalation vulnerability was discovered in Atera Agent 1.8.4.4 and prior on Windows due to mishandling of privileged APIs. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
An improper privilege check in the OTRS ticket move action in the agent interface allows any as agent authenticated attacker to to perform a move of an ticket without the needed permission.0.X before. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Local privilege escalation in Check Point Endpoint Security Client (version E87.30) via crafted OpenSSL configuration file. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Quick Facts
- Typical Severity
- HIGH
- Category
- auth
- Total CVEs
- 14610