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

Try Hard Security Group

Join the Try Hard Security Discord Server!Discord

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.