Checklist - Local Windows Privilege Escalation

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Best tool to look for Windows local privilege escalation vectors: WinPEAS

System Info

• Obtain System information

• Search for kernel exploits using scripts

• Use Google to search for kernel exploits

• Use searchsploit to search for kernel exploits

• Interesting info in env vars?

• Passwords in PowerShell history?

• Interesting info in Internet settings?

• Drives?

• WSUS exploit?

• AlwaysInstallElevated?

Logging/AV enumeration

• Check Audit and WEF settings
• Check LAPS
• Check if WDigest is active
• LSA Protection?
• Credentials Guard?
• Cached Credentials?
• Check if any AV
• AppLocker Policy?
• UAC
• User Privileges
• Check current user privileges
• Are you member of any privileged group?
• Check if you have any of these tokens enabled: SeImpersonatePrivilege, SeAssignPrimaryPrivilege, SeTcbPrivilege, SeBackupPrivilege, SeRestorePrivilege, SeCreateTokenPrivilege, SeLoadDriverPrivilege, SeTakeOwnershipPrivilege, SeDebugPrivilege ?
• Users Sessions?
• Check users homes (access?)
• Check Password Policy
• What is inside the Clipboard?

Network

• Check current network information
• Check hidden local services restricted to the outside

Running Processes

• Processes binaries file and folders permissions
• Memory Password mining
• Insecure GUI apps
• Steal credentials with interesting processes via ProcDump.exe ? (firefox, chrome, etc ...)

Services

• Can you modify any service?
• Can you modify the binary that is executed by any service?
• Can you modify the registry of any service?
• Can you take advantage of any unquoted service binary path?

Applications

• Write permissions on installed applications
• Startup Applications
• Vulnerable Drivers

DLL Hijacking

• Can you write in any folder inside PATH?

• Is there any known service binary that tries to load any non-existant DLL?

• Can you write in any binaries folder?

Network

• Enumerate the network (shares, interfaces, routes, neighbours, ...)

• Take a special look at network services listening on localhost (127.0.0.1)

Windows Credentials

• Winlogon credentials
• Windows Vault credentials that you could use?
• Interesting DPAPI credentials?
• Passwords of saved Wifi networks?
• Interesting info in saved RDP Connections?
• Passwords in recently run commands?
• Remote Desktop Credentials Manager passwords?
• AppCmd.exe exists? Credentials?
• SCClient.exe? DLL Side Loading?

Files and Registry (Credentials)

• Putty: Creds and SSH host keys
• SSH keys in registry?
• Passwords in unattended files?
• Any SAM & SYSTEM backup?
• Cloud credentials?
• McAfee SiteList.xml file?
• Cached GPP Password?
• Password in IIS Web config file?
• Interesting info in web logs?
• Do you want to ask for credentials to the user?
• Interesting files inside the Recycle Bin?
• Other registry containing credentials?
• Inside Browser data (dbs, history, bookmarks, ...)?
• Generic password search in files and registry
• Tools to automatically search for passwords

Leaked Handlers

• Have you access to any handler of a process run by administrator?

Pipe Client Impersonation

• Check if you can abuse it

Learn & practice AWS Hacking:HackTricks Training AWS Red Team Expert (ARTE) Learn & practice GCP Hacking: HackTricks Training GCP Red Team Expert (GRTE)

Support HackTricks

• Check the subscription plans!
• Join the 💬 Discord group or the telegram group or follow us on Twitter 🐦 @hacktricks_live.
• Share hacking tricks by submitting PRs to the HackTricks and HackTricks Cloud github repos.