// THREAT DETECTION AND DATA PRIVACY TERM
Privilege Escalation
Privilege escalation is when an attacker or malware gains higher access rights than they originally had on a computer system or network. This allows them to perform actions that are usually restricted, like installing programs or modifying critical settings.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
Privilege escalation is a post-exploitation phase in cybersecurity where an unauthorized entity exploits vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, or flaws in an operating system or application to transition from lower-level access to higher-level access (e.g., user to administrator, root), thereby gaining greater control over the compromised system.
BACKGROUND
Privilege escalation is the act of exploiting a bug, a design flaw, or a configuration oversight in an operating system or software application to gain elevated access to resources that are normally protected from an application or user. The result is that an application or user with more privileges than intended by the application developer or system administrator can perform unauthorized actions.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Privilege elevation
- Gaining root access
- Admin access
- Vertical escalation
- Horizontal escalation
- Privesc
USAGE NOTE
Privilege escalation is a common technique used by attackers after initial system compromise to achieve persistence and deeper control over a target environment.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Privilege Escalation.
CyberArk is a global leader in Privileged Access Management (PAM), providing solutions to protect, manage, and monitor privileged credentials and access, directly addressing privilege escalation risks.
BeyondTrust offers comprehensive Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions that help organizations prevent data breaches by stopping privilege misuse and eliminating Windows, macOS, and Linux local admin rights.
Through its Azure Active Directory, Windows Server, and Microsoft Defender for Identity solutions, Microsoft provides core identity and access management capabilities crucial for preventing and detecting privilege escalation within its ecosystem.
Okta is a leading independent provider of identity for the enterprise, offering solutions for identity and access management (IAM) that secure user access and prevent unauthorized privilege grants, a key defense against privilege escalation.
CrowdStrike provides cloud-native endpoint and identity protection, including Falcon Identity Protection, which monitors for and prevents identity-based attacks and lateral movement that often lead to privilege escalation.
Splunk's Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions collect and analyze security logs and events, enabling organizations to detect anomalous behavior and indicators of privilege escalation attempts in real-time.
Varonis specializes in data security and unstructured data access governance, helping organizations identify excessive permissions, monitor data access, and prevent privilege abuse that could lead to unauthorized data access and escalation.
Tenable provides comprehensive vulnerability management solutions, including Nessus, which identify security vulnerabilities and misconfigurations that attackers could exploit for privilege escalation across IT environments.
Rapid7 offers vulnerability management, penetration testing tools (like Metasploit), and SIEM solutions (InsightIDR) that help organizations identify, detect, and respond to privilege escalation paths and attacks.