T1561.001sub-technique of T1561 Disk Wipe
Disk Content Wipe
Linux · macOS · Network Devices · Windowsnothing on this site yetT1561.001 on attack.mitre.org
Adversaries may erase the contents of storage devices on specific systems or in large numbers in a network to interrupt availability to system and network resources. Adversaries may partially or completely overwrite the contents of a storage device rendering the data irrecoverable through the storage interface. Instead of wiping specific disk structures or files, adversaries with destructive intent may wipe arbitrary portions of disk content.
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 Strategy for Disk Content Wipe via Direct Access and Overwrite
- Processes attempting raw disk access via \\.\PhysicalDrive paths, abnormal file I/O to MBR/boot sectors, or loading of third-party drivers (e.g., RawDisk) that enable disk overwrite. Correlate process creation, privilege usage, and disk modification events within a short time window.
- Execution of destructive utilities (dd, shred, wipe) targeting block devices, or processes invoking syscalls to directly overwrite /dev/sd* or /dev/nvme* partitions. Correlate abnormal file write attempts with shell process execution and block device access.
- Abnormal invocation of diskutil or asr with destructive flags (eraseDisk, zeroDisk), or low-level IOKit calls that overwrite raw disk content. Detect correlation between elevated process execution and disk erase operations.
- Execution of CLI commands erasing file systems or storage (erase flash:, format disk, erase nvram:). Detect authentication events followed by destructive commands within the same privileged session.
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 is protected from common methods adversaries may use to gain access and destroy the backups to prevent recovery.