root@thehacksparrow:~/writeups$ SYSTEM ONLINE
root@sparrow:~/writeups$ cat banshee.md
// tools

BANSHEE

22 Jul 2026 · 3 min read

What it is — BANSHEE automates the search for Linux privilege escalation vectors. It runs directly on the target machine once initial access is gained: it walks through the most common vectors (sudo, SUID, capabilities, cron, kernel, containers...) and finishes with a severity-ranked summary showing the exact exploit for each finding. The second piece of my toolkit, meant to run right after REAPER.

TypeCLI · Python 3.10+
LicenseMIT
PlatformLinux (runs on the target)
UseAuthorised environments only (HTB, THM, VulnHub, your own labs)
Repogithub.com/DonTrebor1/BANSHEE

How to use it

Upload the script to the target machine and run every phase automatically:

python3 banshee.py --auto

Preview the phase plan without running anything:

python3 banshee.py --plan

Resume a previous session:

python3 banshee.py --resume banshee_output/banshee_state.json

Phases

#PhaseWhat it detects
1SystemUser, kernel, OS, env vars with credentials, users with a shell
2sudoNOPASSWD + 30+ GTFOBins binaries + LD_PRELOAD
3SUID/SGID25+ known dangerous SUID binaries
4Capabilitiescap_setuid, cap_sys_admin, cap_dac_read_search, etc.
5CronWritable cron scripts + pspy-style detection
6Files/etc/passwd+shadow, SSH keys, configs with passwords, backups
7KernelDirty Pipe, Dirty COW, PwnKit, overlayfs + linux-exploit-suggester
8ServicesLocal ports (MySQL, Redis, MongoDB, Elasticsearch...)
9Containersdocker/lxd/disk groups + container environment detection
10SummaryEvery vector ranked by severity [CRITICAL → LOW]

The design goal is simple: instead of running 5 different scripts (linpeas, linenum, a manual GTFOBins check...) and cross-referencing the output by hand, BANSHEE does that cross-referencing automatically and prioritises by severity, not by execution order.

Output

banshee_output/
├── banshee_state.json    # Full state
├── sysinfo.txt           # System information
├── sudo.txt              # sudo permissions
├── suid.txt              # SUID/SGID binaries
├── capabilities.txt      # Linux capabilities
├── cron.txt              # Cron jobs
├── files.txt             # Sensitive files
├── kernel.txt            # Kernel analysis
├── services.txt          # Services and processes
└── containers.txt        # Docker/LXD/groups

Flow with the rest of the toolkit

REAPER   ->  external recon (ports, subdomains, technologies)
    |
  Initial access gained
    |
BANSHEE  ->  Linux privesc (sudo, SUID, cron, kernel, containers...)
    |
  If the system is Windows AD:
    |
LAZARUS  ->  full AD attack chain

⚠️ Legal notice: exclusively for controlled, authorised practice environments. Using it against systems without explicit authorisation is illegal.

Repository

github.com/DonTrebor1/BANSHEE →