Adversaries may circumvent mechanisms designed to control elevated privileges to gain higher-level permissions. Most modern systems contain native elevation control mechanisms that are intended to limit privileges that a user can gain on a machine. Authorization has to be granted to specific users in order to perform tasks that are designated as higher risk. An adversary can use several methods to take advantage of built-in control mechanisms in order to escalate privileges on a system.
| ID | Mitigation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| M1013 | Application Developer Guidance |
Applications very rarely require administrator permission. Developers should be cautioned against using this higher degree of access to avoid being flagged as a potentially malicious application. |
| ID | Name | Analytic ID | Analytic Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| DET0642 | Detection of Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism | AN1718 |
For Android, detect Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism from documented management, network, or vetting evidence; treat state queries as periodic observations rather than real-time events. Correlate Application Permission via Android Enterprise DPC / Application Vetting [DevicePolicyManager.getPermissionGrantState(); PackageManager manifest/requested-permission review]; OS API Execution via Application Vetting / Instrumented Dynamic Analysis [Dynamic API/runtime trace: App invokes privileged framework APIs (accessibility performAction, WindowManager.addView TYPE_APPLICATION_OVERLAY, PackageInstaller) immediately after acquiring elevation control mechanism without expected user settings navigation time]. Alert on a sequence or state change inconsistent with the device/app baseline, approved management policy, or expected user workflow; do not infer unobserved API calls, file/process activity, or payload content from management state alone. |