Detect privilege escalation attempts including token manipulation, UAC bypass, unquoted service paths, kernel
日本語に翻訳 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
d3fend_techniques:
Token Binding
Executable Denylisting
Execution Isolation
Restore Access
Reissue Credential
nist_csf:
DE.CM-01
DE.AE-02
DE.AE-07
ID.RA-05
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 impersonationScenario 2 : Fodhelper.exe UAC bypass techniqueScenario 3 : PrintSpoofer privilege escalation from service to SYSTEMScenario 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]