What are the main privilege escalation techniques covered in this skill?

The skill covers system enumeration, credential harvesting, service exploitation, token impersonation, kernel exploits, DLL hijacking, and misconfigurations. Specific methods include exploiting misconfigured service permissions, unquoted service paths, AlwaysInstallElevated MSI abuse, token impersonation via JuicyPotato/PrintSpoofer/RoguePotato/GodPotato, and kernel exploits targeting CVEs like MS17-010 EternalBlue or CVE-2020-0796 SMBGhost.

What tools does this skill reference for Windows privilege escalation?

The skill cross-references enumeration tools including WinPEAS, PowerUp, Seatbelt, Watson, JAWS, and PrivescCheck, along with common exploitation binaries like accesschk.exe and JuicyPotato variants.

What are the key restrictions and warnings for using this skill?

This skill is marked authorized-use-only and requires written authorization for penetration testing activities. It warns that kernel exploits may cause system instability, some exploits require specific Windows versions, AV/EDR may detect and block common tools, and engagements must avoid disrupting production systems while documenting every escalation attempt.

What credential harvesting techniques does this skill cover?

Credential harvesting techniques include SAM/SYSTEM file extraction, the HiveNightmare CVE-2021-36934 shadow-copy technique, registry and file searches for stored passwords, Unattend.xml sysprep credentials, cleartext WiFi passwords via netsh commands, and PowerShell history examination.

Who should use this skill and what authorization is required?

This skill is for penetration testers and red teamers with written authorization for authorized security assessments, defensive validation, or controlled educational environments. It requires shell or RDP access as a standard user on a Windows system and assumes access to enumeration tools or the ability to transfer them to the target.

Skill

Escalate Windows Privileges During Penetration Tests

Name: Windows Privilege Escalation
Availability: OnlineOnly
Author: zebbern

Systematic Windows privilege escalation skill for penetration testing, covering enumeration, credential harvesting, service exploitation, and misconfigurations.

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Spark score

out of 100

Updated 5 days ago

Source checked Sep 16, 2026

Version 17.3.0

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Why it matters

Security professionals hire this skill to systematically discover and exploit privilege escalation vulnerabilities on Windows systems during penetration testing engagements, enabling them to identify paths from standard user access to Administrator or SYSTEM privileges.

Outcomes

What it gets done

Enumerate Windows system configurations and identify privilege escalation vectors

Harvest credentials from memory, registry, and file system locations

Exploit misconfigured services and token impersonation opportunities

Test kernel exploits and validate escalation to SYSTEM privileges

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Overview

Windows Privilege Escalation

This skill delivers systematic methodologies for discovering and exploiting privilege escalation vulnerabilities on Windows systems during penetration testing. It covers system enumeration, credential harvesting, service exploitation, token impersonation, kernel exploits, and misconfigurations that enable escalation from standard user to Administrator or SYSTEM privileges. Use this skill during authorized penetration testing engagements when you need to escalate from standard user access to higher privilege levels on Windows systems. It is appropriate for red team exercises, security assessments, and vulnerability validation where demonstrating privilege escalation paths is a defined objective.

What it does

This skill provides systematic methodologies for discovering and exploiting privilege escalation vulnerabilities on Windows systems during penetration testing engagements. It enables security professionals to escalate from standard user privileges to Administrator or SYSTEM privileges by identifying and exploiting system enumeration weaknesses, credential harvesting opportunities, service misconfigurations, token impersonation, and various misconfigurations.

When to use - and when NOT to

Use this skill during authorized penetration testing engagements when you have gained initial access to a Windows system with standard user privileges and need to escalate to higher privilege levels. It is appropriate for red team exercises, security assessments, and vulnerability validation where privilege escalation is a defined objective. Use it to systematically enumerate Windows systems for common misconfigurations and exploitation vectors.

Do NOT use this skill on systems where you lack explicit written authorization for penetration testing activities. Do NOT deploy these techniques in production environments outside of controlled security assessment windows, as exploitation attempts may cause service disruptions or trigger security alerts.

Inputs and outputs

Users provide access to a Windows system with standard user privileges and the context of an authorized penetration testing engagement. The skill requires information about the target system's configuration, installed services, and security posture.

Users receive systematic methodologies for identifying privilege escalation paths, including techniques for system enumeration, credential harvesting methods, service exploitation approaches, token impersonation, and various misconfigurations that enable escalation from standard user to Administrator or SYSTEM privileges.

Who it's for

This skill is designed for penetration testers and red team operators who conduct authorized security assessments of Windows environments. It benefits security professionals who require structured methodologies to move from initial access to full system compromise during simulated attack scenarios.

Source README

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.

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