What is Privilege Escalation?
1 min read
Updated 2026-02-05
An attack where a user gains elevated access to resources that are normally protected. Can be vertical (gaining higher privileges) or horizontal (accessing other users' data).
Understanding Privilege Escalation
Privilege escalation exploits flaws in authorization logic. Vertical escalation means gaining higher-level access (user to admin). Horizontal escalation means accessing resources of other users at the same privilege level. Both can lead to full system compromise.
Examples
- A regular user accessing admin functionality by manipulating requests
- Exploiting a vulnerable service running as root
- Using a race condition to gain elevated permissions
- Accessing another user's account by changing a user ID parameter
How to Prevent
- Implement least privilege principle
- Validate authorization on every request
- Use role-based access control (RBAC)
- Audit and log privilege changes
- Regularly review user permissions
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