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WinPEAS

Post Exploitation

Intermediatelow risk

WinPEAS is a script designed to discover local privilege escalation paths on Windows environments. It audits configurations, user security rights, system vulnerabilities, and active processes.

Installation

Download binary compilation from the authorized PEASS-ng repository build listings

Basic Syntax

winpeas.exe [options]

Quick Facts

Full Name
WinPEAS - Windows PEASS
License
MIT
Language
C#
Interface
CLI
Category
Privilege Escalation
Requires
Shell Access on Target

Tool Overview

WinPEAS is the essential privilege escalation enumeration tool for Windows systems. It performs comprehensive checks for misconfigurations, insecure permissions, and credential exposures that can be exploited to elevate privileges.

From unquoted service paths to AlwaysInstallElevated policies, WinPEAS detects the most common and dangerous Windows privilege escalation vectors with its familiar color-coded output.

Common Commands

winPEASx64.exeRun the 64-bit binary with all default privilege-escalation checks
winPEASx86.exeRun the 32-bit binary for x86 hosts or 32-bit process contexts
winPEASany.exeRun the AnyCPU .NET build when architecture is unknown
winPEAS.batRun the batch-script fallback when the .NET runtime is missing
winpeas.exe helpPrint usage, available arguments and check categories
winpeas.exe quietSuppress the ASCII banner and startup info
winpeas.exe notcolorDisable ANSI color codes for clean file/log capture
winpeas.exe logLog all output to the default out.txt in the current directory
winpeas.exe log=C:\Windows\Temp\out.txtLog output to a specific file path
winpeas.exe waitPause for user input between each check section
winpeas.exe debugShow debugging information and wait for input at the end
winpeas.exe fastSkip time-consuming filesystem searches for a quicker run
winpeas.exe cmdGather extra info by executing known Windows commands (slower)
winpeas.exe domainPerform Active Directory / domain-related enumeration checks
winpeas.exe systeminfoRun only the system information and patch-level checks

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. 1Place the executable file on the Windows target
  2. 2Initiate the program via the command prompt
  3. 3Analyze the results, looking for highlighted text
  4. 4Record any insecure permissions or outdated software
  5. 5Plan your privilege escalation based on the findings

Use Cases

Service Exploitation

Find weak service permissions and paths.

Token Abuse

Identify exploitable token privileges (SeImpersonate, SeAssignPrimaryToken).

Credential Hunting

Find passwords in files, registry, and configs.

Registry Analysis

Check AlwaysInstallElevated and autologon.

Key Features

Related Tools

LinPEAS

Post Exploitation

Linux privesc enumeration script.

Mimikatz

Post Exploitation

Windows credential extraction.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is WinPEAS used for?

WinPEAS (Windows Privilege Escalation Awesome Script) scans Windows systems for misconfigurations and vulnerabilities that could allow privilege escalation, including service permissions, token privileges, and credential exposure.

How does WinPEAS differ from LinPEAS?

WinPEAS is the Windows counterpart of LinPEAS. It checks Windows-specific vectors including service permissions, registry keys, AlwaysInstallElevated, unquoted service paths, and Windows token abuse.

Do I need to install WinPEAS?

No, WinPEAS is a standalone Windows executable. Download the .exe file, transfer it to the target, and execute it from the command line.

What types of checks does WinPEAS perform?

WinPEAS checks services, processes, installed applications, registry settings, token privileges, network info, credential files, Run registry keys, scheduled tasks, and Windows-specific misconfigurations like AlwaysInstallElevated and UAC settings.

Tags

#post-exploitation#privilege-escalation#windows#enumeration

Ethical Usage Notice

This tool is designed for authorized security testing, educational purposes, and legitimate network administration only. Unauthorized access to computer systems is illegal.