In this video walk-through, the focus is on the process of escalating privileges in a Linux environment through the use of cron jobs. The discussion begins with an introduction to the concept of cron jobs, which are scheduled tasks set to run at specific times within the operating system. The initial setup involves deploying a machine and examining the scheduled cron jobs to identify potential vulnerabilities.
The analysis progresses to scrutinizing a particular script designed to overwrite files, assessing its permissions and the user groups associated with it. Modifications are made to this script to enable privilege escalation, including the implementation of a reverse shell payload to gain elevated access.
Further examination reveals another script that utilizes tar for exploitation. This section explores the use of tar wildcards as a method for privilege escalation, alongside the creation of a reverse shell payload. The payload is transferred and executed, leading to additional techniques for escalating privileges using wildcards.
An important aspect discussed is the manipulation of environment variables within cron jobs, particularly the path variable. The process includes creating a malicious script within the path and modifying the path variable to facilitate privilege escalation. The execution of these exploits ultimately results in gaining root access to the system.
The walk-through concludes with a summary of the various techniques for escalating privileges through cron jobs, highlighting the critical understanding of how these components work together to exploit vulnerabilities in the Linux operating system.
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