T1485.001sub-technique of T1485 Data Destruction
Lifecycle-Triggered Deletion
IaaSnothing on this site yetT1485.001 on attack.mitre.org
Adversaries may modify the lifecycle policies of a cloud storage bucket to destroy all objects stored within. Cloud storage buckets often allow users to set lifecycle policies to automate the migration, archival, or deletion of objects after a set period of time. If a threat actor has sufficient permissions to modify these policies, they may be able to delete all objects at once.
If this is happening now
Checklists and playbooks to open while the alert is still live.
Playbook for this stage
Ransomware, suspected or confirmed
Files renamed or unreadable, a ransom note, or backup deletion commands seen.
how MITRE says to see it
Detection of Lifecycle Policy Modifications for Triggered Deletion in IaaS Cloud Storage
- Adversary with write access to storage modifies lifecycle policies (e.g., via PutBucketLifecycle) to schedule rapid object deletion across one or more storage buckets. This is often used to trigger impact (destruction), remove logs (defense evasion), or force extortion (ransomware).
what reduces it
- M1053 Data Backup. Consider implementing IT disaster recovery plans that contain procedures for taking regular data backups that can be used to restore organizational data. Ensure backups are stored off system and protected from common methods adversaries may use to gain access and destroy the backups to prevent recovery.
- M1018 User Account Management. In cloud environments, limit permissions to modify cloud bucket lifecycle policies (e.g., `PutLifecycleConfiguration` in AWS) to only those accounts that require it. In AWS environments, consider using Service Control policies to limit the use of the `PutBucketLifecycle` API call.