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 (14612)
Applications on the tested version of Dominion Voting Systems ImageCast X can execute code with elevated privileges by exploiting a system level service. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The tested version of Dominion Voting Systems ImageCast X allows for rebooting into Android Safe Mode, which allows an attacker to directly access the operating system. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
LRM utilizes elevated privileges. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Cloudflare Warp for Windows from version 2022.2.95.0 contained an unquoted service path which enables arbitrary code execution leading to privilege escalation. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Pure Storage FlashArray products running Purity//FA 6.2.0 - 6.2.3, 6.1.0 - 6.1.12, 6.0.0 - 6.0.8, 5.3.0 - 5.3.17, 5.2.x and prior Purity//FA releases, and Pure Storage FlashBlade products running. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Pure Storage FlashArray products running Purity//FA 6.2.0 - 6.2.3, 6.1.0 - 6.1.12, 6.0.0 - 6.0.8, 5.3.0 - 5.3.17, 5.2.x and prior Purity//FA releases, and Pure Storage FlashBlade products running. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The user access rights validation in the web server of the Bosch Ethernet switch PRA-ES8P2S with software version 1.01.05 was insufficient. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Bosch Ethernet switch PRA-ES8P2S with software version 1.01.05 runs its web server with root privilege. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Go before 1.17.10 and 1.18.x before 1.18.2 has Incorrect Privilege Assignment. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Comodo Antivirus 12.2.2.8012 has a quarantine flaw that allows privilege escalation. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
AtlasVPN - Privilege Escalation Lack of proper security controls on named pipe messages can allow an attacker with low privileges to send a malicious payload and gain SYSTEM permissions on a windows. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A flaw was found in AMQ Broker Operator 7.9.4 installed via UI using OperatorHub where a low-privilege user that has access to the namespace where the AMQ Operator is deployed has access to. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper privilege management vulnerability in McAfee Consumer Product Removal Tool prior to version 10.4.128 could allow a local user to modify a configuration file and perform a LOLBin (Living off. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
ASUS Control Center API has a broken access control vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in TitanFTP (aka Titan FTP) NextGen before 1.2.1050. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Versions of the Amazon AWS Apache Log4j hotpatch package before log4j-cve-2021-44228-hotpatch-1.3.5 are affected by a race condition that could lead to a local privilege escalation. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.0). No vendor patch available.
A permission issue affects users that deployed the shipped version of the Checkmk Debian package. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Insecure permissions configuration in Adaware Protect v1.2.439.4251 allows attackers to escalate privileges via changing the service binary path. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
RoboHelp Server earlier versions than RHS 11 Update 3 are affected by an Improper Authorization vulnerability which could lead to privilege escalation. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Octokit is a Ruby toolkit for the GitHub API. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Incorrect Default Permissions vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources due to overly permissive default settings.
Octopoller is a micro gem for polling and retrying. Rated low severity (CVSS 3.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Incorrect Default Permissions vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources due to overly permissive default settings.
In multiple locations of the nanopb library, there is a possible way to corrupt memory when decoding untrusted protobuf files. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Vulnerabilities in the Mint WorkBench allow a low privileged attacker to create and write to a file anywhere on the file system as SYSTEM with arbitrary content as long as the file does not already. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In param_find_digests_internal and related functions of the Titan-M source, 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 static definitions of GattServiceConfig.java, there is a possible permission bypass due to an insecure default value. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In registerRemoteBugreportReceivers of DevicePolicyManagerService.java, there is a possible reporting of falsified bug reports due to a missing permission check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In getAppSize of InstalldNativeService.cpp, there is a possible out of bounds read due to a missing bounds check. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In recycle of Parcel.java, there is a possible way to start foreground activity from background due to a permissions bypass. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In onCreate of ChooseLockGeneric.java, there is a possible permission bypass. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In getUniqueUsagesWithLabels of PermissionUsageHelper.java, there is a possible incorrect permission attribution due to a logic error in the code. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In grantEmbeddedWindowFocus of WindowManagerService.java, there is a possible way to change an input channel for embedded hierarchy due to a permissions bypass. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In kbase_mem_alias of mali_kbase_mem_linux.c, there is a possible arbitrary code execution due to improper input validation. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In TBD of TBD, there is a possible use after free bug. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In hypx_create_blob_dmabuf of faceauth_hypx.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. No vendor patch available.
In ioctl_dpm_qos_update and ioctl_event_control_set of (TBD), 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 various methods of kernel base drivers, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a heap buffer overflow. 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 unflatten of GraphicBuffer.cpp, there is a possible arbitrary code execution due to improper input validation. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In ipu_core_jqs_msg_transport_kernel_write_sync of ipu-core-jqs-msg-transport.c, there is a possible use-after-free due to a race condition. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.0). No vendor patch available.
In lock_sock_nested of sock.c, there is a possible use after free due to a race condition. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4). No vendor patch available.
In rcu_cblist_dequeue of rcu_segcblist.c, 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 the TitanM chip, 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 TBD of TBD, there is a possible use-after-free due to a race condition. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4). No vendor patch available.
In nfa_dm_check_set_config of nfa_dm_main.cc, there is a possible out of bounds write due to a missing bounds check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In startLegacyVpnPrivileged of Vpn.java, there is a possible way to retrieve VPN credentials due to a protocol downgrade attack. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In multiple functions of AvatarPhotoController.java, there is a possible access to content owned by system content providers due to a confused deputy. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In createFromParcel of GeofenceHardwareRequestParcelable.java, there is a possible arbitrary code execution due to parcel mismatch. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In ip_check_mc_rcu of igmp.c, there is a possible use after free due to improper locking. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.0). No vendor patch available.
In read_multi_rsp of gatt_sr.cc, there is a possible out of bounds write due to an incorrect bounds check. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In ACTION_MANAGED_PROFILE_PROVISIONED of DevicePolicyManagerService.java, there is a possible way for unprivileged app to send MANAGED_PROFILE_PROVISIONED intent due to a missing permission check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In onCreateContextMenu of NetworkProviderSettings.java, there is a possible way for non-owner users to change WiFi settings due to a missing permission check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Missing Authorization vulnerability could allow attackers to access resources or perform actions without proper authorization checks.
In writeToParcel of GateKeeperResponse.java, there is a possible parcel format mismatch. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In readArguments of CallSubjectDialog.java, there is a possible way to trick the user to call the wrong phone number due to improper input validation. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In setDiscoverableTimeout of AdapterService.java, there is a possible bypass of user interaction due to a missing permission check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In setScanMode of AdapterService.java, there is a possible way to enable Bluetooth discovery mode without user interaction due to a missing permission check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.3), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In GBoard, there is a possible way to bypass factory reset protections due to a sandbox escape. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In deletePackageX of DeletePackageHelper.java, there is a possible way for a Guest user to reset pre-loaded applications for other users due to a permissions bypass. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A highly privileged user can exploit SUID-root program to escalate his privileges to root on a local Unix system. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
SAP startservice - of SAP NetWeaver Application Server ABAP, Application Server Java, ABAP Platform and HANA Database - versions KERNEL 7.22, 7.49, 7.53, 7.77, 7.81, 7.85, 7.86, 7.87, 7.88, KRNL64NUC. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.0), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Jupyter Notebook is a web-based notebook environment for interactive computing. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Couchbase Server before 7.0.4. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
There is a buffer overflow vulnerability in CV81-WDM FW 01.70.49.29.46. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The AMS module has a vulnerability in input validation. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Naver Cloud Explorer Beta allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code as System privilege via malicious DLL injection. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Jupiter Theme <= 6.10.1 and JupiterX Core Plugin <= 2.0.7 allow any authenticated attacker, including a subscriber or customer-level attacker, to gain administrative privileges via the. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Improper Privilege Management in GitHub repository nocodb/nocodb prior to 0.91.7+. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Dell SupportAssist Client Consumer versions (3.11.0 and versions prior) and Dell SupportAssist Client Commercial versions (3.2.0 and versions prior) contain a privilege escalation vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
IBM Spectrum Copy Data Management 2.2.0.0 through 2.2.15.0 is vulnerable to reverse tabnabbing where it could allow a page linked to from within IBM Spectrum Copy Data Management to rewrite it. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Improper Privilege Management vulnerability could allow attackers to escalate privileges to gain unauthorized elevated access.
RealVNC VNC Server 6.9.0 through 5.1.0 for Windows allows local privilege escalation because an installer repair operation executes %TEMP% files as SYSTEM. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
An issue was discovered in Couchbase Sync Gateway 3.x before 3.0.2. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Trend Micro Security 2021 and 2022 (Consumer) is vulnerable to an exposed dangerous method vulnerability that could allow an attacker to obtain access to leaked kernel addresses and disclose. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The ITarian Endpoint Manage Communication Client, prior to version 6.43.41148.21120, is compiled using insecure OpenSSL settings. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A Privilege Context Switching issue was discovered in join.c in Firejail 0.9.68. 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.
OPSWAT MetaDefender Core before 5.1.2, MetaDefender ICAP before 4.12.1, and MetaDefender Email Gateway Security before 5.6.1 have incorrect access control, resulting in privilege escalation. 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.
An issue was discovered in the IGEL Universal Management Suite (UMS) 6.07.100. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
PendingIntent hijacking vulnerability in Smart Things prior to 1.7.85.25 allows local attackers to access files without permission via implicit Intent. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Improper privilege management vulnerability in Samsung Account prior to 13.2.00.6 allows attackers to get an user email or phone number with a normal level permission. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In power service, 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 ccu, there is a possible memory corruption due to a double free. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.7), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In WLAN driver, 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 WLAN driver, 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 WLAN driver, 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 WLAN driver, 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 WLAN driver, 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 WIFI Firmware, there is a possible memory corruption due to a use after free. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
eG Agent before 7.2 has weak file permissions that enable escalation of privileges to SYSTEM. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c in the Linux kernel through 5.18.1 allows a local user (able to create user/net namespaces) to escalate privileges to root because an incorrect NFT_STATEFUL_EXPR check. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
In KNIME Analytics Platform below 4.6.0, the Windows installer sets improper filesystem permissions. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
HashiCorp Nomad and Nomad Enterprise version 0.2.0 up to 1.3.0 were impacted by go-getter vulnerabilities enabling privilege escalation through the artifact stanza in submitted jobs onto the client. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Incorrect Default Permissions vulnerability in ABB e-Design allows attacker to install malicious software executing with SYSTEM permissions violating confidentiality, integrity, and availability of. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Incorrect Default Permissions vulnerability in ABB e-Design allows attacker to install malicious software executing with SYSTEM permissions violating confidentiality, integrity, and availability of. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.
Quick Facts
- Typical Severity
- HIGH
- Category
- auth
- Total CVEs
- 14612