Privilege escalation can be understood as illicit use of additional resources that are simply not available to a particular user or their additional access is limited for a particular user. When a malicious user reports a bug, an anomaly, or configuration error within an operating system or application to gain elevated access to the resources that would otherwise not be available for that particular user. This additional privilege or access can then be used by the attacker for the sake of running malicious commands, deploying malware, or getting access to essential or confidential data.
It mainly depends on the intent of the user what they want to do with the privilege escalation but one thing is clear it is not legal and one shouldn’t be pursuing it for the mere fun of it.
How does it work?
First of all the users who are interested in moving forward with this type of attack have to exploit a particular vulnerability within the target system or application which would let them override the current user account and privilege. By doing so they will be able to exploit the data of the superuser, imitate the identity of others that are in charge, and pose an even deadlier threat to the system. These are the main steps that are performed in the initiation of the attack which is the privilege escalation.
As it happens there are two different types of privilege escalation types such as the vertical privilege escalation and the horizontal privilege escalation. Both of these types will be explained in grave detail here for you to understand the adversity these carry and how potentially dangerous both of these are.
Start Your 7-Day FREE TRIAL with InfoSec Academy.
Horizontal escalation
Now, this is not as lethal as the vertical escalation as the users that have exploited the system would like to remain on the same superuser account and not trouble themselves going high in the ranking to exploit the user accounts with more and more privileges. But there is a critical downside for the corporation as with the horizontal escalation attack the current user account which has been compromised by the miscreant user can access the data as well as other important information from the other users. Why does it happen?
Because all of the users happen to be on the same network, that is why. It is not that lethal as the vertical escalation which is about to come but still, it has its gruesome impact on the security of the network systems and the data these hold.
Vertical escalation
This is the most dangerous form of the privilege escalation, not only it is extremely lethal for the corporation that is bearing the attack in terms of compromising highly classified data but also disrupts the security of the network going layer by layer. The malicious user starts at the lowest of the food chain and when they have compromised the basic user account they make their way upwards. This goes by taking down the next user in line and then the next and then the next until the criminal has reached the superuser level and now has the privilege and access to almost any data and information they want to look at.
All sorts of things can be done by these types of users such as stealing the credentials, engaging in the theft or modification of the consumer data, interfering with the user protocols, and execution of a deadly malware into the network if the user feels like it. Worst yet, the experienced attackers can even use the advanced systems to erase the log files of the network in order to cover their tracks and remove any evidence of the attack whatsoever. No evidence, no blaming all of it on a particular user. Thus would eventually leave the victim perplexed such as from where the attack surfaced, what were the attack vectors, and which vulnerability was exploited by the attacker.
The victim literally can’t do anything to cover themselves and secure their systems to prevent a future attack of this caliber, leaving once again the doors open for the attackers.
Why is it important in threat detection?
It is like hiring a pen tester to perform a series of attacks on your network and associated systems to find out different vulnerabilities that exist. But here the companies or victims would hire the potential attackers to deploy a payload into a test system for checking its integrity or if the security systems can counterfeit the payload or the malware. This way you will be able to build better defenses and instill a better development of the security systems that guard the confidential data of the customers and your company.
Do you want to work as a professional information technology expert? If so then focus on putting in the training required to earn the information security certifications as it will not only help to validate the skill set that you have but will also land you a decent job.