Overview
Privilege escalation is a key step in many cyberattacks. An attacker typically starts with a low-privileged account and then uses various techniques to gain administrative or 'root' access.
Types
- Vertical Privilege Escalation: Gaining higher-level permissions (e.g., moving from a standard user to an admin).
- Horizontal Privilege Escalation: Gaining the permissions of another user at the same level (e.g., accessing another user's private files).
Prevention
- Patching: Fixing vulnerabilities that allow for escalation.
- Principle of Least Privilege: Limiting the permissions of all accounts.
- System Hardening: Disabling unnecessary services and securing configurations.