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****

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 to network services listing on local (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**](windows-local-privilege-escalation/#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

And more...

If you want to know about my latest modifications/additions or you have any suggestion for HackTricks or PEASS, join the 💬 PEASS & HackTricks telegram group here, or follow me on Twitter 🐦@carlospolopm. If you want to share some tricks with the community you can also submit pull requests to **[https://github.com/carlospolop/hacktricks**](https://github.com/carlospolop/hacktricks) **that will be reflected in this book. Don't forget to give ⭐ on the github** to motivate me to continue developing this book.

​Buy me a coffee here****