Complete technique description
Adversaries may delete or remove built-in data and turn off services designed to aid in the recovery of a corrupted system to prevent recovery.[Talos Olympic Destroyer 2018][FireEye WannaCry 2017] This may deny access to available backups and recovery options.
Operating systems may contain features that can help fix corrupted systems, such as a backup catalog, volume shadow copies, and automatic repair features. Adversaries may disable or delete system recovery features to augment the effects of Data Destruction and Data Encrypted for Impact.[Talos Olympic Destroyer 2018][FireEye WannaCry 2017] Furthermore, adversaries may disable recovery notifications, then corrupt backups.[disable_notif_synology_ransom]
A number of native Windows utilities have been used by adversaries to disable or delete system recovery features:
* <code>vssadmin.exe</code> can be used to delete all volume shadow copies on a system - <code>vssadmin.exe delete shadows /all /quiet</code>
* Windows Management Instrumentation can be used to delete volume shadow copies - <code>wmic shadowcopy delete</code>
* <code>wbadmin.exe</code> can be used to delete the Windows Backup Catalog - <code>wbadmin.exe delete catalog -quiet</code>
* <code>bcdedit.exe</code> can be used to disable automatic Windows recovery features by modifying boot configuration data - <code>bcdedit.exe /set {default} bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures & bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled no</code>
* <code>REAgentC.exe</code> can be used to disable Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) repair/recovery options of an infected system
* <code>diskshadow.exe</code> can be used to delete all volume shadow copies on a system - <code>diskshadow delete shadows all</code> [Diskshadow] [Crytox Ransomware]
On network devices, adversaries may leverage Disk Wipe to delete backup firmware images and reformat the file system, then System Shutdown/Reboot to reload the device. Together this activity may leave network devices completely inoperable and inhibit recovery operations.
On ESXi servers, adversaries may delete or encrypt snapshots of virtual machines to support Data Encrypted for Impact, preventing them from being leveraged as backups (e.g., via ` vim-cmd vmsvc/snapshot.removeall`).[Cybereason]
Adversaries may also delete “online” backups that are connected to their network – whether via network storage media or through folders that sync to cloud services.[ZDNet Ransomware Backups 2020] In cloud environments, adversaries may disable versioning and backup policies and delete snapshots, database backups, machine images, and prior versions of objects designed to be used in disaster recovery scenarios.[Dark Reading Code Spaces Cyber Attack][Rhino Security Labs AWS S3 Ransomware]
Official technique definition · Open in the interactive matrix
Detection telemetry and configuration
These contracts are selected through exact technique-to-data-component relationships or explicitly labelled planning overrides. Configure a collector at the relevant observation point; a telemetry name alone is not coverage.
Cloud Storage Deletion · source-mapped
DC0022 collection page — Collect bucket/container administrative deletion and final resource state. Object-delete events may be supporting context but are not the same infrastructure operation.
Providers and collection configuration
- Choose only the lab buckets/containers and prefixes. Enable read/write data-event collection when object access is needed; management events alone are insufficient.
- Keep administrative changes separately from object reads/writes. Set a cost budget and retention limit before enabling high-volume data logging.
- Preserve object version/key, requesting identity, action, source address, result and request ID. Verify the collector actually receives one benign read and one benign write.
Required normalized fields: action, bucket, actor, result.
Illustrative collection event
Project-normalized synthetic JSON, not a native provider log, captured event, attack verdict or validated detection. A parser/adapter is required for a real SIEM. Example names, IPs and values are fictional.
{
"schema": "1200km.telemetry.example.v1",
"synthetic": true,
"timestamp": "2026-09-27T12:00:00Z",
"telemetry_id": "DC0022",
"collector": "illustrative-lab-collector",
"observation": {
"action": "delete_bucket",
"bucket": "lab-bucket",
"actor": "lab-admin",
"result": "success"
}
}
Visibility limits: Storage metadata, listing, object access and bucket administration are different operations. Do not equate a successful request with proven exfiltration or complete content visibility.
Command Execution · source-mapped
DC0064 collection page — Collect process command lines and relevant shell/interpreter audit; shell history alone is neither complete nor tamper-resistant.
Providers and collection configuration
- Enable Script Block Logging through the policy/configuration for the installed edition. Forward Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational for Windows PowerShell, or PowerShellCore/Operational for PowerShell 7.
- Retain script-block ID and fragment ordering alongside process creation. Protect access to collected script text; secrets may be included.
- On Linux, use narrowly scoped Audit execution rules for the lab account and supported architectures, and retain joined SYSCALL/EXECVE/PATH records.
Required normalized fields: interpreter, command_line, actor_uid, session_id.
Illustrative collection event
Project-normalized synthetic JSON, not a native provider log, captured event, attack verdict or validated detection. A parser/adapter is required for a real SIEM. Example names, IPs and values are fictional.
{
"schema": "1200km.telemetry.example.v1",
"synthetic": true,
"timestamp": "2026-09-27T12:00:00Z",
"telemetry_id": "DC0064",
"collector": "illustrative-lab-collector",
"observation": {
"interpreter": "/bin/sh",
"command_line": "printf LAB_TELEMETRY_CHECK",
"actor_uid": 1000,
"session_id": "lab-session-1"
}
}
Visibility limits: Script content and process command lines are different signals. Logging may be partial, fragmented, filtered or disabled; never assume a command line reveals everything executed.
File Deletion · source-mapped
DC0040 collection page — Prefer Sysmon FileDeleteDetected (26) when content retention is not needed; FileDelete (23) also archives files and requires a storage/privacy plan.
Providers and collection configuration
- Microsoft Sysmon: Windows event-based collection; enable the event types needed below.
- Linux Audit: Linux alternative for supported system-call and file events; different semantics and fields.
- Apple Endpoint Security clients: macOS alternative where the subscribed event exists; requires an entitled, approved client, not an iOS collector.
- On a disposable Windows host, review the installed Sysmon schema and current configuration; merge scoped event filters into the existing policy rather than replacing it.
- Forward Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational to the lab collector. Preserve event ID, timestamp, computer, process identifiers and the original event.
- For Linux or macOS, select the equivalent sensor separately and test its emitted fields; a Windows event ID does not transfer across platforms.
Required normalized fields: process_id, path, action, archived.
Illustrative collection event
Project-normalized synthetic JSON, not a native provider log, captured event, attack verdict or validated detection. A parser/adapter is required for a real SIEM. Example names, IPs and values are fictional.
{
"schema": "1200km.telemetry.example.v1",
"synthetic": true,
"timestamp": "2026-09-27T12:00:00Z",
"telemetry_id": "DC0040",
"collector": "illustrative-lab-collector",
"observation": {
"process_id": 4200,
"path": "C:\\Lab\\demo.txt",
"action": "delete",
"archived": false
}
}
Visibility limits: Event filtering and sensor versions change coverage. High-volume image-load and process-access collection needs tuning; endpoint events alone do not establish intent.
Process Creation · source-mapped
DC0032 collection page — Collect Sysmon ProcessCreate (1); preserve ProcessGuid and parent identifiers. Security 4688 is an alternative with separate audit/command-line settings.
Providers and collection configuration
- Microsoft Sysmon: Windows event-based collection; enable the event types needed below.
- Linux Audit: Linux alternative for supported system-call and file events; different semantics and fields.
- Apple Endpoint Security clients: macOS alternative where the subscribed event exists; requires an entitled, approved client, not an iOS collector.
- On a disposable Windows host, review the installed Sysmon schema and current configuration; merge scoped event filters into the existing policy rather than replacing it.
- Forward Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational to the lab collector. Preserve event ID, timestamp, computer, process identifiers and the original event.
- For Linux or macOS, select the equivalent sensor separately and test its emitted fields; a Windows event ID does not transfer across platforms.
Required normalized fields: process_guid, image, parent_image, command_line, user.
<EventFiltering>
<ProcessCreate onmatch="include">
<Image condition="is">C:\Windows\System32\whoami.exe</Image>
</ProcessCreate>
</EventFiltering>
This fragment only selects the named process. It is not a complete production policy. Inspect the installed schema with sysmon64 -s; preserve existing rules, then apply the reviewed complete configuration with sysmon64 -c <configuration-file>.
Illustrative collection event
Project-normalized synthetic JSON, not a native provider log, captured event, attack verdict or validated detection. A parser/adapter is required for a real SIEM. Example names, IPs and values are fictional.
{
"schema": "1200km.telemetry.example.v1",
"synthetic": true,
"timestamp": "2026-09-27T12:00:00Z",
"telemetry_id": "DC0032",
"collector": "illustrative-lab-collector",
"observation": {
"process_guid": "lab-process-001",
"image": "C:\\Windows\\System32\\whoami.exe",
"parent_image": "C:\\Windows\\System32\\cmd.exe",
"command_line": "whoami",
"user": "LAB\\analyst"
}
}
Visibility limits: Event filtering and sensor versions change coverage. High-volume image-load and process-access collection needs tuning; endpoint events alone do not establish intent.
Service Metadata · source-mapped
DC0041 collection page — Inventory service name, executable, startup mode, owner and status using supported OS APIs; compare successive snapshots.
Providers and collection configuration
- osquery: Scheduled host-state queries; supported tables and privileges vary by OS. Select a table that actually exposes the required object.
- Linux Audit plus inventory snapshots: Events explain changes; snapshots describe state at collection time.
- Define the inventory query, allowed host set, interval and least-privileged reader. Store a stable asset ID, observation time and collector version.
- Keep successive snapshots and calculate additions, removals and changed attributes. Pair state changes with audit events when available.
- Export collector health and missed-poll counts so a missing snapshot is not misclassified as a missing asset.
Required normalized fields: service, executable, start_mode, state.
Illustrative collection event
Project-normalized synthetic JSON, not a native provider log, captured event, attack verdict or validated detection. A parser/adapter is required for a real SIEM. Example names, IPs and values are fictional.
{
"schema": "1200km.telemetry.example.v1",
"synthetic": true,
"timestamp": "2026-09-27T12:00:00Z",
"telemetry_id": "DC0041",
"collector": "illustrative-lab-collector",
"observation": {
"service": "LabService",
"executable": "C:\\Lab\\service.exe",
"start_mode": "manual",
"state": "stopped"
}
}
Visibility limits: Snapshots miss short-lived objects and do not identify who caused a change. A generic inventory agent is not guaranteed to expose firmware or kernel-level details.
Snapshot Deletion · source-mapped
DC0049 collection page — Collect snapshot-delete control-plane events; join the immutable snapshot ID and completion state with backup inventory.
Providers and collection configuration
- In the isolated account/project/subscription, route administrative audit logs to a protected destination with retention and access controls.
- Select the relevant service, regions and read/write operations. Confirm whether the API below is a management or data event in the provider documentation.
- Preserve actor/session, resource, request ID, service, operation, region and error details. Check delivery latency and avoid logging credentials or sensitive request bodies.
Required normalized fields: snapshot_id, action, actor, result.
Illustrative collection event
Project-normalized synthetic JSON, not a native provider log, captured event, attack verdict or validated detection. A parser/adapter is required for a real SIEM. Example names, IPs and values are fictional.
{
"schema": "1200km.telemetry.example.v1",
"synthetic": true,
"timestamp": "2026-09-27T12:00:00Z",
"telemetry_id": "DC0049",
"collector": "illustrative-lab-collector",
"observation": {
"snapshot_id": "snap-lab-1",
"action": "delete",
"actor": "lab-admin",
"result": "requested"
}
}
Visibility limits: AWS, Azure and Google expose different APIs and event schemas. An accepted API request does not prove the final resource state; join asynchronous outcomes and inventory.
Windows Registry Key Modification · source-mapped
DC0063 collection page — Use RegistryEvent 13 for value-set and 14 for rename; compare against intended policy and keep original type/value where available.
Providers and collection configuration
- Microsoft Sysmon: Windows event-based collection; enable the event types needed below.
- On a disposable Windows host, review the installed Sysmon schema and current configuration; merge scoped event filters into the existing policy rather than replacing it.
- Forward Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational to the lab collector. Preserve event ID, timestamp, computer, process identifiers and the original event.
- Keep this Windows-specific source separate from other operating systems; there is no direct cross-platform event-ID equivalence.
Required normalized fields: registry_path, event_type, value_type, value.
Illustrative collection event
Project-normalized synthetic JSON, not a native provider log, captured event, attack verdict or validated detection. A parser/adapter is required for a real SIEM. Example names, IPs and values are fictional.
{
"schema": "1200km.telemetry.example.v1",
"synthetic": true,
"timestamp": "2026-09-27T12:00:00Z",
"telemetry_id": "DC0063",
"collector": "illustrative-lab-collector",
"observation": {
"registry_path": "HKCU\\Software\\Lab\\Mode",
"event_type": "SetValue",
"value_type": "DWORD",
"value": 1
}
}
Visibility limits: Event filtering and sensor versions change coverage. High-volume image-load and process-access collection needs tuning; endpoint events alone do not establish intent.
Simulation design and documented procedures
Atomic evidence: 13 compatible documented candidates. Live lab status: not run for these imported procedures.
Use disposable lab hosts and test accounts, explicit target allowlists, a clean snapshot, bounded egress and a restore plan. Review every candidate and dependency before any execution.
Windows - Disable the SR scheduled task
Use schtasks.exe to disable the System Restore (SR) scheduled task
Pinned Atomic procedure · 1c68c68d-83a4-4981-974e-8993055fa034 · windows · command_prompt.
Elevation: required. Cleanup: defined upstream; review required. This is source documentation, not an execution approval.
No input arguments declared.
Review the upstream command, dependencies and cleanup at the source link. Source defaults may refer to real infrastructure or destructive actions; they are not authorized targets. No automatic install, prerequisite download or command execution is provided.
Windows - wbadmin Delete Windows Backup Catalog
Deletes Windows Backup Catalog. This technique is used by numerous ransomware families and APT malware such as Olympic Destroyer. Upon execution,
"The backup catalog has been successfully deleted." will be displayed in the PowerShell session.
Pinned Atomic procedure · 263ba6cb-ea2b-41c9-9d4e-b652dadd002c · windows · command_prompt.
Elevation: required. Cleanup: not declared. This is source documentation, not an execution approval.
No input arguments declared.
Review the upstream command, dependencies and cleanup at the source link. Source defaults may refer to real infrastructure or destructive actions; they are not authorized targets. No automatic install, prerequisite download or command execution is provided.
Windows - Delete Volume Shadow Copies via WMI with PowerShell
Deletes Windows Volume Shadow Copies with PowerShell code and Get-WMIObject.
This technique is used by numerous ransomware families such as Sodinokibi/REvil.
Executes Get-WMIObject. Shadow copies can only be created on Windows server or Windows 8, so upon execution
there may be no output displayed.
Pinned Atomic procedure · 39a295ca-7059-4a88-86f6-09556c1211e7 · windows · powershell.
Elevation: required. Cleanup: not declared. This is source documentation, not an execution approval.
No input arguments declared.
Review the upstream command, dependencies and cleanup at the source link. Source defaults may refer to real infrastructure or destructive actions; they are not authorized targets. No automatic install, prerequisite download or command execution is provided.
Windows - Delete Volume Shadow Copies via Diskshadow
Deletes Windows Volume Shadow Copies via Diskshadow binary. This technique is used by numerous ransomware families such as Crytox. The binary is present by default in Windows Server operating systems (since Windows Server 2008). Upon execution, it will delete all shadow copies of the server.
Pinned Atomic procedure · 42111a6f-7e7f-482c-9b1b-3cfd090b999c · windows · powershell.
Elevation: required. Cleanup: not declared. This is source documentation, not an execution approval.
No input arguments declared.
Review the upstream command, dependencies and cleanup at the source link. Source defaults may refer to real infrastructure or destructive actions; they are not authorized targets. No automatic install, prerequisite download or command execution is provided.
1 prerequisite definitions:
- Create volume shadow copy of C:\ . This prereq command only works on Windows Server or Windows 8.
Windows - Delete Volume Shadow Copies
Deletes Windows Volume Shadow Copies. This technique is used by numerous ransomware families and APT malware such as Olympic Destroyer. Upon
execution, if no shadow volumes exist the message "No items found that satisfy the query." will be displayed. If shadow volumes are present, it
will delete them without printing output to the screen. This is because the /quiet parameter was passed which also suppresses the y/n
confirmation prompt. Shadow copies can only be created on Windows server or Windows 8.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2012-R2-and-2012/cc788055(v=ws.11)
Pinned Atomic procedure · 43819286-91a9-4369-90ed-d31fb4da2c01 · windows · command_prompt.
Elevation: required. Cleanup: not declared. This is source documentation, not an execution approval.
No input arguments declared.
Review the upstream command, dependencies and cleanup at the source link. Source defaults may refer to real infrastructure or destructive actions; they are not authorized targets. No automatic install, prerequisite download or command execution is provided.
1 prerequisite definitions:
- Create volume shadow copy of C:\ . This prereq command only works on Windows Server or Windows 8.
Windows - wbadmin Delete systemstatebackup
Deletes the Windows systemstatebackup using wbadmin.exe. This technique is used by numerous ransomware families. This may only be successful on server platforms that have Windows Backup enabled.
Pinned Atomic procedure · 584331dd-75bc-4c02-9e0b-17f5fd81c748 · windows · command_prompt.
Elevation: required. Cleanup: not declared. This is source documentation, not an execution approval.
No input arguments declared.
Review the upstream command, dependencies and cleanup at the source link. Source defaults may refer to real infrastructure or destructive actions; they are not authorized targets. No automatic install, prerequisite download or command execution is provided.
Disable System Restore Through Registry
Modify the registry of the currently logged in user using reg.exe via cmd console to disable system restore on the computer.
See how remcos RAT abuses this technique- https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/2d7855bf6470aa323edf2949b54ce2a04d9e38770f1322c3d0420c2303178d91/details
Pinned Atomic procedure · 66e647d1-8741-4e43-b7c1-334760c2047f · windows · command_prompt.
Elevation: required. Cleanup: defined upstream; review required. This is source documentation, not an execution approval.
No input arguments declared.
Review the upstream command, dependencies and cleanup at the source link. Source defaults may refer to real infrastructure or destructive actions; they are not authorized targets. No automatic install, prerequisite download or command execution is provided.
Windows - Delete Volume Shadow Copies via WMI
Deletes Windows Volume Shadow Copies via WMI. This technique is used by numerous ransomware families and APT malware such as Olympic Destroyer.
Pinned Atomic procedure · 6a3ff8dd-f49c-4272-a658-11c2fe58bd88 · windows · command_prompt.
Elevation: required. Cleanup: not declared. This is source documentation, not an execution approval.
No input arguments declared.
Review the upstream command, dependencies and cleanup at the source link. Source defaults may refer to real infrastructure or destructive actions; they are not authorized targets. No automatic install, prerequisite download or command execution is provided.
2 prerequisite definitions:
- WMIC must be installed (deprecated and removed by default in Windows 11 22H2+)
- Create volume shadow copy of C:\ .
Windows - Delete Backup Files
Deletes backup files in a manner similar to Ryuk ransomware. Upon exection, many "access is denied" messages will appear as the commands try
to delete files from around the system.
Pinned Atomic procedure · 6b1dbaf6-cc8a-4ea6-891f-6058569653bf · windows · command_prompt.
Elevation: required. Cleanup: not declared. This is source documentation, not an execution approval.
No input arguments declared.
Review the upstream command, dependencies and cleanup at the source link. Source defaults may refer to real infrastructure or destructive actions; they are not authorized targets. No automatic install, prerequisite download or command execution is provided.
Modify VSS Service Permissions
This atomic test alters the security settings of the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) by modifying its permissions, potentially impacting system recovery operations. The specific permissions set by the command are as follows:
- Deny Generic All (GA) permissions to Network Users (NU)
- Deny GA permissions to Everyone (WD)
- Deny GA permissions to Anonymous (AN)
- Allow Full Access (FA) and Generic All (GA) permissions to Everyone (WD) in System ACL (SACL)
- Allow Object Inherit and Inherit Only (OIIO) Full Access (FA) and GA permissions to Everyone (WD) in SACL
These permissions can significantly restrict VSS functionalities, including backup and restore operations. As such, it is essential to run this test only in a controlled environment with administrative privileges.
A cleanup command is provided to reset VSS permissions to a common default configuration, which should be verified against your specific system's configuration. It's crucial to use this cleanup command after testing to ensure the system's backup and recovery capabilities remain functional. Running this test on a production system or critical environment is not recommended without proper precautions and a robust recovery plan.
Pinned Atomic procedure · a4420f93-5386-4290-b780-f4f66abc7070 · windows · command_prompt.
Elevation: required. Cleanup: defined upstream; review required. This is source documentation, not an execution approval.
No input arguments declared.
Review the upstream command, dependencies and cleanup at the source link. Source defaults may refer to real infrastructure or destructive actions; they are not authorized targets. No automatic install, prerequisite download or command execution is provided.
Windows - Disable Windows Recovery Console Repair
Disables repair by the Windows Recovery Console on boot. This technique is used by numerous ransomware families and APT malware such as Olympic Destroyer.
Upon execution, "The operation completed successfully." will be displayed in the powershell session.
Pinned Atomic procedure · cf21060a-80b3-4238-a595-22525de4ab81 · windows · command_prompt.
Elevation: required. Cleanup: defined upstream; review required. This is source documentation, not an execution approval.
No input arguments declared.
Review the upstream command, dependencies and cleanup at the source link. Source defaults may refer to real infrastructure or destructive actions; they are not authorized targets. No automatic install, prerequisite download or command execution is provided.
Windows - vssadmin Resize Shadowstorage Volume
Adversaries generally try to Resize Shadowstorage Volume using vssadmin.exe to avoid the shadow volumes being made again. This technique is typically found used by adversaries during a ransomware event and a precursor to deleting the shadowstorage.
Pinned Atomic procedure · da558b07-69ae-41b9-b9d4-4d98154a7049 · windows · powershell.
Elevation: required. Cleanup: not declared. This is source documentation, not an execution approval.
No input arguments declared.
Review the upstream command, dependencies and cleanup at the source link. Source defaults may refer to real infrastructure or destructive actions; they are not authorized targets. No automatic install, prerequisite download or command execution is provided.
Disable Time Machine
Disables Time Machine which is Apple's automated backup utility software. Attackers can use this to prevent backups from occurring and hinder the victim's ability to recover from any damage.
Pinned Atomic procedure · ed952f70-91d4-445a-b7ff-30966bfb1aff · macos · sh.
Elevation: required. Cleanup: defined upstream; review required. This is source documentation, not an execution approval.
No input arguments declared.
Review the upstream command, dependencies and cleanup at the source link. Source defaults may refer to real infrastructure or destructive actions; they are not authorized targets. No automatic install, prerequisite download or command execution is provided.
Technique-specific experiment contract
- Choose one procedure implementing T1490 Inhibit System Recovery; identify the observable behavior in the source definition, not just its tactic.
- Record exact target, tool/version, inputs, privileges, network limits and approval. Never run an imported default target automatically.
- Enable the collection sources above and verify a benign baseline reaches the detector.
- Run only the approved isolated scenario; capture native events and an independent behavior observable.
- Evaluate the exact rule/model, restore the lab, and preserve configuration, event hashes, alerts, controls and misses.