Privilege Escalation
Privilege escalation is a type of cyberattack where an attacker gains elevated access to resources or functionality that are typically off-limits to them. It involves exploiting vulnerabilities or misconfigurations in a system to obtain higher-level permissions than they are authorized to have.
There are two main types of privilege escalation:
Horizontal privilege escalation: An attacker accesses another user's resources with similar privileges.
Vertical privilege escalation: An attacker gains access to the resources of a privileged user, such as an administrator.
Attackers might use various techniques to achieve privilege escalation, including:
Exploiting software vulnerabilities
Bypassing authentication mechanisms
Manipulating file permissions
Injecting malicious code
Here's how ThreatNG can help identify and mitigate the risks of privilege escalation:
ThreatNG's external discovery capabilities provide an attacker's view of the organization's attack surface. This is crucial because privilege escalation often starts with an attacker exploiting an externally accessible vulnerability to gain initial access.
ThreatNG's external assessments can reveal vulnerabilities that attackers might use for privilege escalation:
Web Application Hijack Susceptibility: If a web application is susceptible to hijacking, an attacker could gain control and potentially escalate privileges within the application or the underlying system.
Cyber Risk Exposure: This assessment identifies exposed services and vulnerabilities. Exposed services like databases or remote access tools (e.g., RDP, SSH) can be targeted for privilege escalation attacks.
Code Secret Exposure: This is highly relevant. If ThreatNG discovers exposed credentials (API keys, passwords) in code repositories, an attacker can directly use them to gain higher-level access. For example, exposed AWS credentials could allow an attacker to escalate privileges within the AWS environment.
Mobile App Exposure: Exposed credentials within mobile apps can also provide an initial foothold for attackers to escalate privileges in backend systems.
3. Reporting
ThreatNG's reports can highlight findings related to privilege escalation risks. For example, reports on Code Secret Exposure or Cyber Risk Exposure can pinpoint systems with weak security or exposed credentials that are prime targets for privilege escalation.
Continuous monitoring is vital because the attack surface and potential privilege escalation paths can change. ThreatNG's ongoing monitoring detects new vulnerabilities or exposed information that could be exploited.
ThreatNG's investigation modules provide detailed information to help understand and prevent privilege escalation:
Domain Intelligence: This module can reveal information about subdomains and DNS records, potentially uncovering misconfigurations that could aid in privilege escalation.
Sensitive Code Exposure: This module is critical. It identifies exposed credentials and configuration files within code repositories. These can provide attackers with the means to escalate privileges directly. For example, finding a database configuration file with credentials allows an attacker to access the database with those privileges.
Search Engine Exploitation: This module can uncover sensitive files or directories exposed via search engines, which might contain helpful information for privilege escalation.
ThreatNG's intelligence repositories provide context:
Dark Web Presence: Information on compromised credentials found on the dark web is relevant, as attackers might use these credentials to attempt privilege escalation.
7. Working with Complementary Solutions
While the document doesn't detail specific integrations, ThreatNG's capabilities would complement other security tools:
SIEM systems: ThreatNG's findings on potential privilege escalation paths could be integrated into a SIEM to correlate with internal security events and detect actual escalation attempts.
Identity and Access Management (IAM) tools: ThreatNG's identification of exposed credentials could inform IAM policies and help strengthen access controls.
Vulnerability management tools: ThreatNG's external view can complement internal vulnerability scans to provide a more complete picture of privilege escalation risks.
In summary, ThreatNG helps identify and mitigate privilege escalation risks by providing external visibility, assessing vulnerabilities, and offering detailed intelligence on exposed credentials and potential attack vectors.
