Linux:

Privilege Escalation

Linux privesc guides covering SUID, sudo, cron, kernel CVEs, and more

25 guides • Updated May 5, 2026

25 guides

Writable PATH Hijacking for Privilege Escalation

Exploit misconfigured PATH variables by injecting malicious binaries into writable directories, hijacking privileged process execution to escalate local Linux permissions.

Mar 14, 2026 • 4 min read

Linux privilege escalation (often shortened to privesc) is the process of moving from a low-privileged user to a higher-privileged context—typically root—by abusing misconfigurations, weak permissions, overly-permissive policies, or vulnerabilities.

On most real systems, the fastest wins come from userland mistakes (sudo rules, writable scripts, unsafe services) rather than “magic exploits.” When misconfigs don’t exist, kernel-level local privilege escalation (LPE) can become the last option—usually riskier and noisier.

This section is a practical map of the most common Linux privesc paths, with dedicated subpages for each technique.