WinPEAS (Windows Privilege Escalation Awesome Script) is a script included in the PEASS-ng (Privilege Escalation Awesome Scripts Suite) project. It is one of the most popular tools used by penetration testers and system administrators to search for possible local privilege escalation paths on Windows systems.
This guide covers how to download the executable (winPEASexe) safely, verify its authenticity, and prepare it for use.
Report: Verified Download and Verification of WinPEAS.exe (Windows Privilege Escalation Awesome Script) is a powerful, open-source post-exploitation tool designed to automate the discovery of misconfigurations and vulnerabilities that lead to privilege escalation on Windows systems. 1. Official Verified Download Sources
To ensure the integrity and safety of the tool, it should only be downloaded from official, trusted repositories. Primary Source: official PEASS-ng GitHub repository managed by carlospolop is the definitive source for the latest releases. Executable Variants: winPEASx64.exe : Optimized for 64-bit Windows architectures. winPEASx86.exe : Optimized for 32-bit Windows architectures. winPEASany.exe
: A .NET variant intended to run on any architecture with a compatible .NET framework. 2. Verification of File Integrity
Verification is critical because WinPEAS is frequently flagged as "malicious" or "hacking tools" by antivirus software like Windows Defender
. Users must verify that the file downloaded matches the developer's original version. Checksum Verification : Downloaded files should be checked against the hashes (SHA256) typically provided on the GitHub releases page Digital Signatures
: Official GitHub releases are often signed with the developer's GPG key (e.g., ID: B5690EEEBB952194). 3. Common Download & Transfer Methods
For security testing environments, professionals use specific command-line tools to pull the verified executable directly to a target: Certutil Command download winpeasexe verified
certutil -urlcache -split -f https://github.com/carlospolop/PEASS-ng/releases/latest/download/winPEASx64.exe winpeas.exe PowerShell In-Memory Execution Invoke-WebRequest "$url" -UseBasicParsing
can be used to load the tool without writing it to disk in some scenarios. 4. Key Use Cases and Functionality Releases · peass-ng/PEASS-ng - GitHub
Releases · peass-ng/PEASS-ng. Release refs/heads/master 20260412-090b08ae. 1 hour ago. github-actions. 20260412-090b08ae. 65d6e46.
To download the verified version of winPEAS.exe , you should always use the official PEASS-ng GitHub repository maintained by Carlos Polop. ManageEngine
Below is a technical guide formatted as a "proper paper" overview for its use in security auditing and privilege escalation.
Technical Overview: Windows Privilege Escalation Awesome Scripts (winPEAS) 1. Introduction
is an open-source security tool designed to automate the enumeration of Windows systems to identify potential privilege escalation vectors. It is widely used by penetration testers and security auditors to find misconfigurations, cached credentials, and unpatched vulnerabilities. ManageEngine 2. Verified Acquisition
Downloading from unofficial sites can lead to malware infection. The only verified source is the official repository: Official Repository: PEASS-ng on GitHub Releases Page: Navigate to the section to find the pre-compiled winPEAS.exe Verification: WinPEAS (Windows Privilege Escalation Awesome Script) is a
You can verify the integrity of the download by comparing the SHA-256 hash provided in the release notes with the hash of your downloaded file. ManageEngine 3. Methodology of Enumeration performs deep system analysis across several categories: System Information:
OS version, patch levels, and installed updates (identifying missing KBs). User Information:
Current user privileges, logged-in users, and group memberships. Service & Registry Enumeration:
Searching for unquoted service paths, weak registry permissions, and hijacked DLL opportunities. Network Enumeration: Active connections, routing tables, and listening ports. Credential Harvesting:
Searching for passwords in files, registry keys, and memory. 4. Interpretation of Results The tool uses a color-coded system to prioritize findings:
High probability of a privilege escalation vector. These should be investigated first. Common configurations that are generally secure. Yellow/Cyan:
Interesting files or configurations that require manual review. 5. Ethical and Legal Considerations
is a powerful tool that must only be used on systems where the user has explicit, written authorization to perform security testing. Unauthorized use may violate local and international cyber laws. ResearchGate Resources for Further Study Educational Labs: Practice enumeration in a safe environment using the WinPEAS Lab on 101 Labs Expert Documentation: Report: Verified Download and Verification of WinPEAS
Detailed techniques and explanations can be found in Carlos Polop's HackTricks
Privilege escalations on Windows with WinPEAS - ManageEngine
1. Download WinPEAS script. Obtain the latest version of WinPEAS from the official a GitHub repository. ManageEngine Privilege escalations on Windows with WinPEAS
Binary selection
Secure download
Integrity verification (mandatory)
Signature verification (optional but preferred)
Output