How to Start a .NET Process as a Different User with Elevated Privileges?

Running a .NET Process with Elevated Privileges and Alternate Credentials

This article details how to execute a .NET application with administrative rights using a different user account.

The Challenge:

Attempting to launch a process demanding administrative access often results in an insufficient privileges error.

Example Code (Illustrative):

<code>public class ImpersonationHelper : IDisposable
{
    // Impersonation code (omitted for brevity)...
}

using (new ImpersonationHelper("xxx.blabla.com", "xxxx", "xxxx"))
{
    if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(txtFilename.Text))
        Process.Start(txtFilename.Text);
}</code>

The Solution: Directly Launching with Elevated Privileges

Rather than user impersonation, directly create a new process with elevated privileges:

System.Diagnostics.Process proc = new System.Diagnostics.Process();
System.Security.SecureString ssPwd = new System.Security.SecureString();

proc.StartInfo.UseShellExecute = true; // Note: Changed to true for elevation
proc.StartInfo.FileName = "filename";
proc.StartInfo.Arguments = "args...";
proc.StartInfo.Domain = "domainname";
proc.StartInfo.UserName = "username";
proc.StartInfo.Password = new System.Security.SecureString(); //  Important: Handle password securely

string password = "user entered password";
foreach (char c in password)
{
    proc.StartInfo.Password.AppendChar(c);
}
proc.StartInfo.Password.MakeReadOnly();

proc.Start();
proc.StartInfo.Password.Dispose(); //Dispose of the SecureString

This method launches a new process using the provided credentials, granting it the necessary administrative privileges. Remember to handle passwords securely using SecureString. The UseShellExecute = true is crucial for privilege elevation. The previous example using false would not work for this purpose.

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