SOVLED! EscalatedPrivilegeFileOperationDaemon

EscalatedPrivilegeFileOperationDaemon.exe is preventing your computer from shutting down and you don’t know what is going on? Well, in most of the cases, a bug is responsible for the situation so there is no need to do a thing. However, if you keep running into EscalatedPrivilegeFileOperationDaemon.exe during shutdowns, consider replacing the file, running a registry scan, scanning for malware, uninstalling and reinstalling Adobe products, etc. Read to the end to learn what must be done to put an end to the issue. 

A List Of Possibilities 

Usually, as part of the shutdown process, Windows is going to look for apps that still run and display them. If Windows says that EscalatedPrivilegeFileOperationDaemon.exe is preventing your computer from shutting down, keep in mind the following suspects:

• Bug.
• Corruption.
• Malware.
• Adobe products.

What You Could Do

Do Nothing

For your information, many bugs on Windows resolve by themselves before long and the one that involves EscalatedPrivilegeFileOperationDaemon.exe is not an exception. If  EscalatedPrivilegeFileOperationDaemon.exe appears on the screen the moment you shut down your computer, do nothing. Eventually, Windows is going to shut down on its own. In the case that your computer won’t shut down, hit Cancel, go back to home screen and shut down the device one more time. 

Replace The File 

Launch your web browser, search for EscalatedPrivilegeFileOperationDaemon.exe and download it. Next, replace EscalatedPrivilegeFileOperationDaemon.exe on your computer with the one you recently downloaded. 

Run A Registry Scan

• Step 1: Press Windows key, type cmd and hit Run as administrator. 
• Step 2: In Command Prompt (Admin), type scanreg/autorun and press Enter.
• Step 3: Allow the process to run all the way.

Note: On occasions, it’s a good idea to run SFC and DISM scans as well. 

• Step 1: Open Command Prompt (Admin), type sfc /scannow and press Enter to run the SFC scan. 
• Step 2: After the SFC scan finishes, type the following in Command Prompt (Admin) and press Enter each time you complete one to run the DISM scan:
  • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
  • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
  • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
• Step 3: Close Command Prompt, shut down your computer and see how things turn out. 

Scan For Malware

• Step 1: Press Windows + I to open Settings, select Update & Security and choose Virus & threat protection in Windows Security. 
• Step 2: Click Scan options, pick Full scan and hit Scan now.
• Step 3: Shut down your computer as soon as the scan completes.

Uninstall And Reinstall Adobe Products

Based on reports of Windows users, the presence of two Adobe products could lead to EscalatedPrivilegeFileOperationDaemon.exe preventing your computer from shutting down: 

• Adobe Extension Manager.
• Adobe Creative Cloud.

As a precaution, you should uninstall and reinstall the products. 

For Adobe Extension Manager:

• Step 1: Press Windows, type Control Panel and press Enter.
• Step 2: In Control Panel, change View by to Category then hit Uninstall a program under Program.
• Step 3: Locate Adobe Extension Manager, right-click it and pick Uninstall.
• Step 4: Follow on-screen instructions then restart your computer after the process finishes.
• Step 5: Reinstall Adobe Extension Manager.

For Adobe Creative Cloud:

• Step 1: Launch your web browser, search for Adobe Creative Cloud uninstaller and download it.
• Step 2: Run the uninstaller, follow on-screen instructions and restart your computer.
• Step 3: Reinstall Adobe Creative Cloud.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Privilege Escalation?

In case you don’t know, privilege escalation is the act of exploiting design flaws, bugs and configuration errors in operating systems/applications to gain elevated access to restricted resources. When malicious parties gain elevated privilege, they usually use it to steal sensitive data, run administrative commands and so on. Such actions could jeopardize computer operations, network servers, reputation and organization.

How Many Types Of Privilege Escalation Are There?

There are two types of privilege escalation: horizontal and vertical. Horizontal privilege escalation involves gaining access to the data and functionality of a regular user. On the other hand, vertical privilege escalation involves gaining elevated privileges that would otherwise only be available to a power user, such as a system administrator.

An example of horizontal privilege escalation would be a threat actor compromising an office workstation to obtain access to the data of other office users. On the other hand, by taking advantage of vertical privilege escalation, threat actors could execute arbitrary code, erase data, deploy ransomware, and steal sensitive data and access credentials. All things considered, vertical privilege escalation is the more dangerous one of the two. Advanced threat actors can cover their tracks using elevated privileges by deleting access logs so that you don’t find out if there was an attack on your computer.

How Do I Protect My Computer from Privilege Escalation?

• Create strong password policies and make sure that all user accounts understand them.
• Educate users on detection and deterrence techniques to prevent attacks.
• Remove idle user accounts and close unnecessary ports.
• Create specialized groups and users then assign them necessary file access and privileges.
• Keep your database and user inputs secure. 
• Ensure that no errors exist in your applications.
• Patch up your systems and applications immediately after discovering an issue.
• Restrict/remove file transfer functionality.