Chapter 1
Engagement Management
Course: Comptia Pentest Pt0 003
Subject: Comptia Pentest Plus
Chapter: Attacks And Exploits
Host-based attacks exploit local system vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and security weaknesses to gain privilege escalation, persistence, and control over a machine. Attackers use techniques such as credential dumping, security tool evasion, payload obfuscation, and code injection to maintain control. Below is a detailed breakdown of each attack type, methodologies, tools, and defenses.
1. Attack Types
1. Privilege Escalation
Privilege escalation exploits system misconfigurations and vulnerabilities to obtain higher access levels. Attackers move from low-privileged accounts to high-privileged system accounts, such as administrator or root.
Types of privilege escalation:
- Vertical escalation – Gaining higher privileges (e.g., user → admin).
- Horizontal escalation – Accessing another user’s account with the same privilege level.
Tools used:
- WinPEAS / LinPEAS – Enumerates privilege escalation opportunities on Windows and Linux.
- PowerUp – Finds misconfigurations for privilege escalation in Windows.
- BeRoot – Identifies privilege escalation paths in Linux.