Definition
Privilege escalation is a cybersecurity exploit where an attacker gains higher access rights than initially intended or authorized on a system. This often involves exploiting vulnerabilities in software, misconfigurations, or weak access controls to move from a low privilege account to one with administrative or root access. Successfully escalating privileges allows an attacker to access sensitive data, install malware, or disrupt system operations. For instance, an attacker might exploit a buffer overflow vulnerability in a web server to gain elevated permissions. This differs from initial access, which is the first foothold an attacker gains, whereas privilege escalation is about increasing control *after* gaining that initial access. Understanding privilege escalation is crucial for cybersecurity professionals and is frequently tested on exams like CompTIA Security+, CySA+, and CISSP.