Mastering Windows Privilege Escalation: Reveal Windows' secrets and explore artful access methods

by Asmaa Kotb

Overview

Dive deep into Windows Privilege Escalation techniques, gain the knowledge to bypass security barriers, and unlock elevated access while navigating through the administrative controls

Key Features

• Exploit vulnerabilities and conquer system access with advanced techniques revealed
• Leverage weak permissions and configurations for maximum privilege escalation
• Elevate your skills with hands-on labs, applying privilege escalation techniques to real-world scenarios

Book Description

Mastering Windows Privilege Escalation is a comprehensive guide that delves into the significance of privilege escalation, explores Windows security mechanisms, and provides practical insights into bypassing security barriers. This book takes you on a comprehensive journey through the intricate world of privilege escalation. Starting with an introduction to privilege escalation concepts and Windows security mechanisms, the book gradually progresses to cover essential topics such as lab setup and environment preparation, enumeration techniques, gaining an initial foothold, kernel exploits, token impersonation, password-based escalation, and much more. Each chapter is meticulously crafted with hands-on labs to enhance practical understanding. It also provides insights into detection and mitigation techniques, empowering you to fortify your defenses against privilege escalation risks. By the end of this book, readers will have developed a mastery of Windows Privilege Escalation. You will get a deep understanding of privilege escalation concepts, Windows security mechanisms, and access control models. Ultimately, you will emerge as proficient practitioners in detecting and mitigating privilege escalation risks, empowering them to safeguard digital environments and take command of their cybersecurity journey.

What you will learn

• Understand Windows privilege escalation concepts and its significance
• Setting up secure virtual lab environments for experimentation
• Advanced enumeration techniques for system reconnaissance
• Exploiting weak configurations and vulnerabilities for initial access
• Exploiting Windows kernel vulnerabilities for privilege escalation
• Techniques for token impersonation and privilege elevation
• Advanced password attacks and exploiting weak authentication systems
• Identifying and exploiting executable files for privilege escalation

Who this book is for

Mastering Windows Privilege Escalation is a comprehensive guide tailored for system administrators, cybersecurity professionals, penetration testers, and IT experts. This book assumes prior knowledge of Windows operating systems, networking concepts, and basic cybersecurity principles.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781837630974
Publisher:	Packt Publishing
Publication date:	04/24/2026
Product dimensions:	75.00(w) x 92.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Asmaa Kotb is the founder and CEO of KoCyber LTD. Asmaa has extensive experience in the field through diverse roles across various industries. Her expertise is rooted in hands-on experience gained from professional penetration testing engagements, Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions, and platforms like Hack The Box and VulnHub. Asmaa holds a range of professional cybersecurity certifications, starting from CCNA Security to CISSP. Her commitment to the industry has garnered invitations as a speaker at numerous professional conferences and television interviews. She actively participates in cybersecurity conferences organized by universities, where she shares insights on initiating a cybersecurity career and engages in discussions on current and emerging cybersecurity topics. Asmaa pursued her education at Zagazig University's Faculty of Engineering, specializing in Electronics and Communication. She graduated with distinction, achieving a "Very Good with Honor" grade. Additionally, she holds a cybersecurity diploma from the Information Technology Institute (ITI) in Egypt. Asmaa serves as a mentor in multiple cybersecurity mentorship programs, providing technical and personal guidance to inspire young individuals to venture into the cybersecurity field.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Windows Privilege Escalation
2. Lab Setup and Environment Preparation
3. Enumeration Techniques and Information Gathering
4. Gaining Initial Foothold
5. Privilege Escalation through Kernel Exploits
6. Privilege Escalation through Impersonation
7. Password-Based Privilege Escalation
8. Privilege Escalation through Services
9. Privilege Escalation through Executable Files
10. Privilege Escalation through Startup Applications
11. Privilege Escalation through the Windows Registry
12. Detection and Mitigation Techniques
13. Hands-on Labs