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Most exploited vulnerabilites are a combination - you get a local exploit in wordpress which allows you to run a bash script as the webserver user, but gives you limited control over the machine itself

You then exploit a local privilige escalation vulnerability which gives you full access to the machine, allowing you to install backdoors etc for future access

This used to be half of the two-step about every security hole: (1) this hole can only get you root running as an already authenticated user, or (2) this hole only gets an attacker restricted user-level permissions. Thankfully we don't see this so much lately.

This post illustrates the large amount of extra work still needed to counter the depressingly common "this only corrupts unused memory, so it can't be exploited".

But if you can exploit a script or processes that is network accessible to exec your own code, then you get "local system" access, no?

Yes, I think it's more of a toolkit hack. Given you have many of such hacks, find a way to combine them to make actual use of it.

That's my understanding as well.