ID | Technique | Tactic |
---|---|---|
T1490 | Inhibit System Recovery | Impact |
Detection: Delete ShadowCopy With PowerShell
Description
The following analytic detects the use of PowerShell to delete shadow copies via the WMIC PowerShell module. It leverages EventCode 4104 and searches for specific keywords like "ShadowCopy," "Delete," or "Remove" within the ScriptBlockText. This activity is significant because deleting shadow copies is a common tactic used by ransomware, such as DarkSide, to prevent data recovery. If confirmed malicious, this action could lead to irreversible data loss and hinder recovery efforts, significantly impacting business continuity and data integrity.
Search
1`powershell` EventCode=4104 ScriptBlockText= "*ShadowCopy*" (ScriptBlockText = "*Delete*" OR ScriptBlockText = "*Remove*")
2| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime by Opcode Computer UserID EventCode ScriptBlockText
3|rename Computer as dest
4|rename UserID as user
5| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
6| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
7| `delete_shadowcopy_with_powershell_filter`
Data Source
Name | Platform | Sourcetype | Source |
---|---|---|---|
Powershell Script Block Logging 4104 | Windows | 'xmlwineventlog' |
'XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational' |
Macros Used
Name | Value |
---|---|
powershell | (source=WinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational OR source="XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational") |
delete_shadowcopy_with_powershell_filter | search * |
delete_shadowcopy_with_powershell_filter
is an empty macro by default. It allows the user to filter out any results (false positives) without editing the SPL.
Annotations
Default Configuration
This detection is configured by default in Splunk Enterprise Security to run with the following settings:
Setting | Value |
---|---|
Disabled | true |
Cron Schedule | 0 * * * * |
Earliest Time | -70m@m |
Latest Time | -10m@m |
Schedule Window | auto |
Creates Notable | Yes |
Rule Title | %name% |
Rule Description | %description% |
Notable Event Fields | user, dest |
Creates Risk Event | True |
Implementation
To successfully implement this search, you need to be ingesting logs with the powershell logs from your endpoints. make sure you enable needed registry to monitor this event.
Known False Positives
unknown
Associated Analytic Story
Risk Based Analytics (RBA)
Risk Message | Risk Score | Impact | Confidence |
---|---|---|---|
An attempt to delete ShadowCopy was performed using PowerShell on $dest$ by $user$. | 81 | 90 | 90 |
References
Detection Testing
Test Type | Status | Dataset | Source | Sourcetype |
---|---|---|---|---|
Validation | ✅ Passing | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Unit | ✅ Passing | Dataset | XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational |
XmlWinEventLog |
Integration | ✅ Passing | Dataset | XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell/Operational |
XmlWinEventLog |
Replay any dataset to Splunk Enterprise by using our replay.py
tool or the UI.
Alternatively you can replay a dataset into a Splunk Attack Range
Source: GitHub | Version: 4