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Privilege Escalation Techniques (Linux)

Cyber Security Mastery: From Zero to Hero

Moving from Low-Level User to Root

When you gain initial access, you often land as a low-privileged user (e.g., www-data or user). Privilege Escalation is the process of gaining a higher level of permissions (e.g., root on Linux or System on Windows).

Linux Escalation Vectors

  1. SUDO Misconfigurations: Finding commands a low-privilege user can run with sudo without needing a password.
  2. Kernel Exploits: Using a known vulnerability in the Linux kernel to gain root access (requires checking the kernel version).
  3. Weak File Permissions: Finding executables or configuration files that are owned by root but writable by the current user.
  4. SUID/SGID Binaries: Finding executables with the SUID bit set. If a standard user runs an SUID binary, it executes with the permissions of the file owner (often root).

Tool Note: LinEnum and Linux-Exploit-Suggester are scripts used during post-exploitation to automatically check for these common weaknesses.