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What we are going to learn in this article
- What Is the Runas Command?
- Ethical Hacking: Using Runas for Privilege Escalation
- Real-World Attack Scenarios and Defense Tactics
- Protecting Your System from Runas Exploits
- Penetration Testing and Practical Usage of Runas
What Is the Runas Command?
The Runas command allows you to run programs or commands under different user accounts. If you’re a standard user but need to execute an application with admin rights, Runas can help. It’s an essential feature for system administrators, but it’s also a potential weak spot for attackers looking to exploit privilege escalation vulnerabilities.
Example
This opens a Command Prompt with administrative rights. But when abused, it can allow attackers to bypass restrictions and run high-privilege commands without the actual admin credentials.
Ethical Hacking: Using Runas for Privilege Escalation
Scenario 1: Exploiting Weak Passwords
If an attacker knows the password of an admin account, they can exploit Runas to perform privileged tasks without switching users. This is a common tactic when organizations have weak password policies.
Practical Example:
This opens Windows Explorer with administrative privileges, giving an attacker full control over sensitive system files and configurations.
Scenario 2: Exploiting Saved Credentials
The Runas command can be further abused using the /savecred switch, which stores user credentials for future use. This creates a backdoor for attackers, as they can use saved credentials to run commands with elevated privileges without entering the password every time.
Example:
This saves the admin password, allowing an attacker to continuously run PowerShell commands as an administrator without being prompted for credentials again
Real-World Attack Scenarios and Defense Tactics
In penetration testing, privilege escalation using Runas is a common technique. Understanding these real-world attack scenarios can help you defend against them.
Scenario 3: Using Task Scheduler for Privilege Escalation
Hackers can also use Task Scheduler to create scheduled tasks with elevated privileges, effectively bypassing UAC (User Account Control) prompts.
Example:
This creates a scheduled task that runs with System privileges every time the computer starts, allowing attackers to execute admin-level commands.
Protecting Your System from Runas Exploits
For cybersecurity professionals, preventing privilege escalation via Runas involves several key defensive strategies:
Enforce Strong Password Policies: Use complex, regularly updated passwords to prevent attackers from easily guessing admin credentials.
Restrict Access to Admin Accounts: Limit the number of users with administrative privileges and monitor their activities closely.
Audit Runas Usage: Regularly review system logs to detect any unusual use of the Runas command, especially any instances of the /savecred switch being used.
Disable Credential Caching: You can disable the /savecred option using Group Policy settings to prevent attackers from storing admin credentials.
You may also like to read about: Android Ransomware Framework Tool SARA | Complete Guide
Penetration Testing and Practical Usage of Runas
For penetration testers, exploiting Runas to escalate privileges is a must-have skill. Let’s explore some practical ways to use it during an engagement:
1. Bypassing Admin Rights:
This simple command opens a command line interface as an administrator, giving the tester full control over system configurations.
2. Automating Privilege Escalation:
Use this to run scripts with administrative privileges without needing to enter the admin password each time.
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