TCM Security breaks Windows privilege escalation into five high-level categories. Memorize these:
This article unpacks the in detail, exploring the core concepts, common misconfigurations, essential tools, and a step-by-step attack path you can apply on any engagement.
tccli configure set --secretId AKID... --secretKey xxx --region ap-guangzhou tccli cvm DescribeInstances tcm security windows privilege escalation
Once SYSTEM is achieved on a TCM Windows host:
Once the manual process is understood, TCM Security introduces tools to speed up the process. These tools scan the system for the vulnerabilities mentioned above automatically. TCM Security breaks Windows privilege escalation into five
Upload PrintSpoofer64.exe . Run: PrintSpoofer64.exe -i -c cmd.exe – spawns a new cmd as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM .
Path: C:\Program Files\Vuln App\service.exe Without quotes, Windows first tries: Run: PrintSpoofer64
While manual enumeration is key, these tools automate the "low-hanging fruit":
Run it – instant SYSTEM.
Windows Privilege Escalation is a critical phase of penetration testing where an attacker moves from a low-privileged user to a high-privileged administrative or SYSTEM account. TCM Security, led by Heath Adams (The Cyber Mentor), offers a renowned course titled designed to teach these tactics through hands-on labs.
reg query "HKCU\Software\SimonTatham\PuTTY\Sessions"