Glossary
Privilege escalation
When an attacker manages to grant themselves more rights than they had at the start.
Privilege escalation is moving from limited access to powerful access, for example from an ordinary user to an administrator. The hacker exploits a flaw, an overly permissive setting or a poorly protected credential. It is a key step in many attacks; least privilege and updates make it much harder.
See also
Lateral movementA hacker's progression from a compromised machine to others, to extend their hold on the network.APT (advanced persistent threat)A highly organised, well-funded attacker who settles in for the long term to spy or sabotage over time.Indicator of compromise (IOC)A technical clue that betrays a possible attack: a known malicious address, file or domain.MITRE ATT&CKA reference catalogue that describes the methods actually used by cyberattackers.