huntrule

PowerShell WMI Script Deletes Windows Volume Shadow Copies

Flags PowerShell WMI/CIM scripts that enumerate Win32_ShadowCopy and attempt to delete it.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v2
Product
windows
Category
ps_script
Author
Tim Rauch, frack113 (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published
2022-09-20
Updated
2026-07-31
AnalysisDetection

ATT&CK techniques

Impact

  1. Recon

  2. Resource Dev

  3. Initial Access

  4. Execution

  5. Persistence

  6. Priv Esc

  7. Defense Evasion

  8. Cred Access

  9. Discovery

  10. Lateral Movement

  11. Collection

  12. C2

  13. Exfiltration

  14. Impact

What it detects

This rule identifies PowerShell activity that uses WMI/CIM queries against Win32_ShadowCopy and then attempts to delete shadow copy instances. Deleting Volume Shadow Copies can remove recovery points and is a common step in impact-focused attacks. The detection relies on PowerShell script block text containing WMI/CIM command patterns and deletion methods targeting Win32_ShadowCopy.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1490 — drag to rearrange
Malicious Mass Hyper-V Virtual Machine Shutdown via PowerShell by Kraken Ransomware
Suspicious Shadow Copy Deletion via Vssadmin by Kraken Ransomware
Malicious Volume Shadow Copy Deletion via vssadmin or WMIC
Malicious Volume Shadow Copy Deletion via vssadmin
Suspicious Free Space Wipe via cipher.exe
Malicious Shadow Copy Deletion Via WMI
Volume Shadow Copy Deletion via vssadmin or wmic
Malicious Inhibit System Recovery via Backup and Shadow Copy Deletion (via process_creation)
Malicious Shadow Copy Deletion via vssadmin
PowerShell WMI Script Deletes Windows Volume Shadow Copies
Pivot detection · T1490 · 9 related

Changelog

v2
  1. v2
    Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
  2. v1
    No changelog recorded for this version.2026-07-30

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.