SeBackupPrivilege, SeDebugPrivilege, SeImpersonatePrivilege, etc.) have their own page, see Windows User Rights Assignment, this page covers the misconfigurations and exploits around them instead: services, UAC, autoruns, DLL hijacking, and known local-privesc CVEs. Also check HackTricks Windows PrivEsc techniques.
Misconfiguration-Based
Weak service/registry permissions, insecure autoruns, DLL search order. No exploit code needed beyond a payload binary.
Exploit & CVE-Based
UAC bypasses and specific vulnerabilities (PrintNightmare) that need a known technique matched to the exact build.
Automated Privesc Audit Tools
Worth running one of these before manually working through the sections below, each flags likely privesc vectors directly rather than requiring them to be spotted by hand. winPEAS - already covered on Windows OS EnumerationUAC
User Account Control gates elevated actions behind a consent prompt, a process running at a lower integrity level can’t silently reach into one running higher, until a specific bypass breaks that separation.Bypassing It
Known UAC bypasses are tied to the exact Windows build, so get the version first:Insecure Service Permissions
Two separate things can go wrong with a service’s permissions, either is enough to run arbitrary code as whatever account the service runs as (frequently SYSTEM).Weak Permissions on the Service Itself
Weak Permissions on the Service’s Executable File
If the config itself is locked down but the binary it points to is writable, replace the binary instead of reconfiguring the service.Weak Permissions on the Service’s Registry Key
Same idea, as above: ifHKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services itself is writable for a given service, the ImagePath value can be overwritten directly, no sc.exe access needed at all.
Registry Autoruns
A binary path listed in one of these registry keys runs automatically, at whatever privilege the triggering context grants, writable or hijackable autoruns are a reliable persistence/privesc primitive:| Key | Runs as |
|---|---|
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run | Whoever logs in, system-wide |
HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run | The current user only |
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services | The service’s configured account (see above) |
regedit or Set-ItemProperty the same way as the service ImagePath trick above.
DLL Hijacking
If a privileged process loads a DLL by name rather than full path, and a directory earlier in its search order is writable, a malicious DLL dropped there with the same name runs in that process’s context.AlwaysInstallElevated
If this policy is enabled, any user, regardless of their own privileges, can install an.msi package with SYSTEM rights, Windows trusts the installer itself rather than the installing user.
PrintNightmare
The Print Spooler attack covered in full on AD Known Vulnerabilities works the same way locally, used to add a local administrator instead of compromising a Domain Controller:Quick Reference Tools
LOLBAS
Lookup table for abusing legitimate Windows binaries, useful alongside several techniques above.
UACME
Indexed list of every known UAC bypass technique by Windows build.
PowerUp
Automated local privesc audit, see above.

