Windows privilege escalation follows the same principle as Linux, turning limited access into administrative or SYSTEM-level control, but through Windows-specific mechanisms. The classic avenues are insecurely configured services, abusable account privileges and tokens, and DLL loading flaws. As on Linux, the tester's core skill is enumeration to find these misconfigurations, and the defender's response is hardening. Understanding these paths lets a tester demonstrate real impact and helps an organization close the gaps that make escalation possible.
Analogy🏏Cricket
🏏 Think of it like cricket: Active recon is the captain walking out to inspect the pitch on match morning, pressing the surface, checking the grass, watching how the ball behaves in the nets. Unlike studying old footage from afar, this inspection happens on the ground itself and is visible to everyone. Just as that inspection reveals conditions no video could, active scanning reveals live services no public record shows, and just as it happens with the ground's permission, scanning happens only within authorized scope.