Abducted HTB Walkthrough | Samba RCE, SSH Pivoting & Root Privilege Escalation

In this video, we explore **Abducted**, a Medium-difficulty Linux machine on Hack The Box (HTB). This walkthrough covers network enumeration, Samba exploitation, initial access, credential discovery, lateral movement, and Linux privilege escalation. We'll start with network enumeration and identify an exposed Samba printing service vulnerable to command injection via **CVE-2026-4480**. By analyzing the print subsystem, we'll demonstrate how a crafted print job can lead to remote code execution as the print service account. Next, we'll investigate an exposed offsite-backup configuration, decode its stored password using rclone's own tooling, and discover how credential reuse can enable access to another system account. We'll then examine a Samba share misconfiguration involving `force user` and `wide links` to understand how SSH key placement can enable lateral movement to another user. Finally, we'll explore how delegated Samba service management through polkit, combined with a writable systemd service drop-in, can lead to root-level command execution. What You'll Learn Linux network enumeration with Nmap Samba and SMB enumeration Samba print-subsystem command injection CVE-2026-4480 exploitation concepts Recovering and decoding rclone backup configuration credentials Credential reuse and SSH-based lateral movement Samba `force user` and `wide links` misconfigurations Linux privilege escalation using polkit and systemd Practical penetration-testing methodology on Hack The Box Attack Path Overview Network Enumeration → Samba Exploitation → Initial Foothold → Backup Credential Recovery → Lateral Movement → Systemd & Polkit Abuse → Root *Machine:* Abducted *Platform:* Hack The Box *Operating System:* Linux *Difficulty:* Medium *Category:* Linux Penetration Testing & Privilege Escalation If you enjoy practical cybersecurity walkthroughs, Linux exploitation, and Hack The Box machines, subscribe for more penetration-testing tutorials, CTF write-ups, and security learning content. #HackTheBox #HTB #LinuxPrivilegeEscalation #Samba #CyberSecurity