In a privilege escalation attack, what does an attacker achieve?

In a privilege escalation attack, an attacker aims to gain elevated access rights beyond what is normally granted to them. This means that the attacker seeks to acquire additional permissions or privileges that allow them to perform actions or access resources that they would not typically be permitted to use. Such actions can include manipulating files, installing software, or accessing sensitive information that is usually restricted to higher-level users or administrators.

Privilege escalation can occur through various methods, such as exploiting vulnerabilities in the system, misconfigurations, or by leveraging weak passwords. Successfully performing this attack can compromise the integrity and confidentiality of the system, making it a critical concern in cybersecurity.

The other choices do not align with the objectives of a privilege escalation attack. For instance, removing all security protocols is an extreme action that may not directly relate to gaining privileges but rather to totally compromising the security framework. An immediate system shutdown does not necessarily align with optimizing access either; in fact, it may hinder an attacker’s efforts. Increased system storage is unrelated to the notion of privilege escalation, as it focuses instead on resource allocation rather than access rights.