| name | detecting-privilege-escalation-attempts |
| description | Detect privilege escalation attempts including token manipulation, UAC bypass, unquoted service paths, kernel exploits, and sudo/doas abuse across Windows and Linux. |
| domain | cybersecurity |
| subdomain | threat-hunting |
| tags | ["threat-hunting","mitre-attack","privilege-escalation","token-manipulation","uac-bypass","proactive-detection"] |
| version | 1.0 |
| author | mahipal |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
Detecting Privilege Escalation Attempts
When to Use
- When proactively hunting for indicators of detecting privilege escalation attempts in the environment
- After threat intelligence indicates active campaigns using these techniques
- During incident response to scope compromise related to these techniques
- When EDR or SIEM alerts trigger on related indicators
- During periodic security assessments and purple team exercises
Prerequisites
- EDR platform with process and network telemetry (CrowdStrike, MDE, SentinelOne)
- SIEM with relevant log data ingested (Splunk, Elastic, Sentinel)
- Sysmon deployed with comprehensive configuration
- Windows Security Event Log forwarding enabled
- Threat intelligence feeds for IOC correlation
Workflow
- Formulate Hypothesis: Define a testable hypothesis based on threat intelligence or ATT&CK gap analysis.
- Identify Data Sources: Determine which logs and telemetry are needed to validate or refute the hypothesis.
- Execute Queries: Run detection queries against SIEM and EDR platforms to collect relevant events.
- Analyze Results: Examine query results for anomalies, correlating across multiple data sources.
- Validate Findings: Distinguish true positives from false positives through contextual analysis.
- Correlate Activity: Link findings to broader attack chains and threat actor TTPs.
- Document and Report: Record findings, update detection rules, and recommend response actions.
Key Concepts
| Concept | Description |
|---|
| T1134 | Access Token Manipulation |
| T1548.002 | UAC Bypass |
| T1068 | Exploitation for Privilege Escalation |
| T1574.009 | Unquoted Service Path |
Tools & Systems
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|
| CrowdStrike Falcon | EDR telemetry and threat detection |
| Microsoft Defender for Endpoint | Advanced hunting with KQL |
| Splunk Enterprise | SIEM log analysis with SPL queries |
| Elastic Security | Detection rules and investigation timeline |
| Sysmon | Detailed Windows event monitoring |
| Velociraptor | Endpoint artifact collection and hunting |
| Sigma Rules | Cross-platform detection rule format |
Common Scenarios
- Scenario 1: Potato exploit for SYSTEM token impersonation
- Scenario 2: Fodhelper.exe UAC bypass technique
- Scenario 3: PrintSpoofer privilege escalation from service to SYSTEM
- Scenario 4: CVE kernel exploit for local privilege escalation
Output Format
Hunt ID: TH-DETECT-[DATE]-[SEQ]
Technique: T1134
Host: [Hostname]
User: [Account context]
Evidence: [Log entries, process trees, network data]
Risk Level: [Critical/High/Medium/Low]
Confidence: [High/Medium/Low]
Recommended Action: [Containment, investigation, monitoring]
