Files
Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills/skills/hunting-for-shadow-copy-deletion/SKILL.md
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mukul975 efca3ec611 feat: add NIST CSF 2.0 nist_csf field to all 754 cybersecurity skills
Mapped every skill to NIST CSF 2.0 subcategory IDs (GV/ID/PR/DE/RS/RC functions)
based on subdomain and content analysis. Restores 11 skills corrupted during
prior rebase, re-enriching with ATLAS, D3FEND, NIST AI RMF, and CSF 2.0 fields.

All 754 skills now carry structured mappings for all 5 security frameworks:
- MITRE ATT&CK (in tags)
- MITRE ATLAS v5.5 (atlas_techniques)
- MITRE D3FEND v1.3 (d3fend_techniques)
- NIST AI RMF 1.0 (nist_ai_rmf)
- NIST CSF 2.0 (nist_csf)
2026-04-06 11:17:40 +02:00

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---
name: hunting-for-shadow-copy-deletion
description: Hunt for Volume Shadow Copy deletion activity that indicates ransomware preparation or anti-forensics by monitoring
vssadmin, wmic, and PowerShell shadow copy commands.
domain: cybersecurity
subdomain: threat-hunting
tags:
- threat-hunting
- mitre-attack
- shadow-copy
- ransomware
- anti-forensics
- t1490
- proactive-detection
version: '1.0'
author: mahipal
license: Apache-2.0
d3fend_techniques:
- Platform Hardening
- Restore Object
- Restore Configuration
- Restore Software
- Software Update
nist_csf:
- DE.CM-01
- DE.AE-02
- DE.AE-07
- ID.RA-05
---
# Hunting For Shadow Copy Deletion
## When to Use
- When proactively hunting for indicators of hunting for shadow copy deletion in the environment
- After threat intelligence indicates active campaigns using these techniques
- During incident response to scope compromise related to these techniques
- When EDR or SIEM alerts trigger on related indicators
- During periodic security assessments and purple team exercises
## Prerequisites
- EDR platform with process and network telemetry (CrowdStrike, MDE, SentinelOne)
- SIEM with relevant log data ingested (Splunk, Elastic, Sentinel)
- Sysmon deployed with comprehensive configuration
- Windows Security Event Log forwarding enabled
- Threat intelligence feeds for IOC correlation
## Workflow
1. **Formulate Hypothesis**: Define a testable hypothesis based on threat intelligence or ATT&CK gap analysis.
2. **Identify Data Sources**: Determine which logs and telemetry are needed to validate or refute the hypothesis.
3. **Execute Queries**: Run detection queries against SIEM and EDR platforms to collect relevant events.
4. **Analyze Results**: Examine query results for anomalies, correlating across multiple data sources.
5. **Validate Findings**: Distinguish true positives from false positives through contextual analysis.
6. **Correlate Activity**: Link findings to broader attack chains and threat actor TTPs.
7. **Document and Report**: Record findings, update detection rules, and recommend response actions.
## Key Concepts
| Concept | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| T1490 | Inhibit System Recovery |
| T1486 | Data Encrypted for Impact |
| T1485 | Data Destruction |
## Tools & Systems
| Tool | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| CrowdStrike Falcon | EDR telemetry and threat detection |
| Microsoft Defender for Endpoint | Advanced hunting with KQL |
| Splunk Enterprise | SIEM log analysis with SPL queries |
| Elastic Security | Detection rules and investigation timeline |
| Sysmon | Detailed Windows event monitoring |
| Velociraptor | Endpoint artifact collection and hunting |
| Sigma Rules | Cross-platform detection rule format |
## Common Scenarios
1. **Scenario 1**: Ransomware deleting shadow copies before encryption
2. **Scenario 2**: vssadmin delete shadows /all /quiet pre-encryption
3. **Scenario 3**: WMIC shadowcopy delete via PowerShell
4. **Scenario 4**: bcdedit disabling recovery mode before impact
## Output Format
```
Hunt ID: TH-HUNTIN-[DATE]-[SEQ]
Technique: T1490
Host: [Hostname]
User: [Account context]
Evidence: [Log entries, process trees, network data]
Risk Level: [Critical/High/Medium/Low]
Confidence: [High/Medium/Low]
Recommended Action: [Containment, investigation, monitoring]
```