T1485: Data Destruction
Operational Executive Summary
T1485 (Data Destruction) is classified under the Impact tactic within the MITRE ATT&CK framework. Techniques adversaries use to disrupt business operations, destroy system integrity, or manipulate critical availability, including high-speed ransomware encryption and disk wiping. In telemetry gathered across enterprise endpoints and the EMBER 2018 benchmark, this technique was weaponized across 28 distinct malware families, totaling over 8,972 validated samples.
Technical Anatomy & Adversary Tradecraft
Adversaries leverage Data Destruction to accomplish operational objectives while minimizing anomalous forensic footprints. When executing Data Destruction, malicious binaries commonly interact directly with low-level Windows APIs, kernel mode drivers, or native scripting interfaces to bypass traditional file-integrity monitors and static antivirus signatures.
In modern multi-stage campaigns, T1485 is frequently observed functioning as an intermediate bridge: initial access payloads (such as spearphishing loaders or exploit macros) execute Data Destruction to establish in-memory execution or persistence before staging secondary ransomware or data-exfiltration implants.
Authoritative MITRE ATT&CK Reference: View official technique documentation, sub-techniques, and adversary groups at
https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1485/.
Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
Detecting Data Destruction requires telemetry correlation across endpoint detection and response (EDR) agents, Sysmon event streams, and security information event management (SIEM) pipelines:
- Process Creation & Lineage: Monitor parent-child process anomalies where unexpected parent binaries (e.g., Office executables, web browsers, or script hosts) spawn command shells or native Windows utilities.
- API Hooking & Behavioral Telemetry: EDR platforms should flag rapid calls to memory allocation, process injection, or registry manipulation APIs originating from unbacked executable memory regions.
- Network Anomaly Correlation: Cross-reference endpoint execution timestamps with external network socket establishment to identify anomalous beaconing or covert data staging.
SOC Containment & Hardening Guidance
To mitigate risks associated with T1485 (Data Destruction) across production infrastructure, security teams should implement the following defensive controls:
- Attack Surface Reduction (ASR): Enforce strict application control policies (WDAC or AppLocker) to restrict execution to signed and verified corporate binaries.
- Least Privilege & Credential Hygiene: Restrict local administrative privileges to prevent adversaries from tampering with defensive agents or escalating privileges.
- Network Microsegmentation: Restrict lateral communication across endpoint VLANs to prevent wormable payloads from utilizing Data Destruction across adjacent network segments.
Cataloged Malware Families Utilizing T1485 (28 Families)
The following malware families in the SystemHelpDesk catalog have been verified utilizing T1485 (Data Destruction):
28 families
| Family | Category | Sample Count | Technical Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| sivis | File Infector | 7,180 | Sivis (known across antivirus vendors as Win32.Sivis or W32/Sivis) is a classic Windows PE file infector that first surfaced around 2006. Engineered during the ... |
| erazer | Trojan | 1,500 | Erazer (identified across antivirus engines as Trojan:Win32/Erazer and Backdoor.Erazer) is a classic dual-function Remote Access Trojan (RAT) and disruptive dis... |
| parite | File Infector | 163 | Parite (tracked across cybersecurity vendor signatures as Virus:Win32/Parite.B, Virus.Win32.Parite.b, Pinfi, PE_PARITE.A, and W32.Pinite) is an infamous, highly... |
| tenga | File Infector | 50 | Tenga (cataloged across antivirus vendors under signatures including Virus:Win32/Tenga, Win32/Tenga.A, and Virus.Win32.Gat.a) is a landmark polymorphic file inf... |
| jigsaw | Ransomware | 16 | Jigsaw (classified across cybersecurity organizations as Ransom:Win32/Jigsaw, Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Jigsaw, and BitcoinBlackmailer) is a notorious and psychologic... |
| polypatch | Trojan | 11 | Virus:Win32/Polypatch is a highly aggressive polymorphic file infector. Unlike modern trojans that simply drop a malicious payload, Polypatch actively seeks out... |
| mongolock | Ransomware | 7 | Ransom:Win32/Mongolock represents a highly specialized and devastating form of extortion that specifically targets unsecured, internet-exposed **MongoDB databas... |
| olympicdestroyer | Ransomware | 5 | Trojan:Win32/Olympicdestroyer (or simply **Olympic Destroyer**) is a highly sophisticated, destructive wiper malware deployed during the opening ceremony of the... |
| ranserkd | Ransomware | 5 | Ransom:Win32/Ranserkd is a highly destructive ransomware variant designed to systematically encrypt all valuable data on an infected endpoint or network share, ... |
| schwarzesonne | Ransomware | 5 | Ransom:Win32/Schwarzesonne (or Trojan:Win32/Schwarzesonne) is a severe threat generally classified as Ransomware or a highly destructive Trojan. It is designed ... |
| jigsawlocker | Ransomware | 4 | Ransom:Win32/Jigsawlocker (commonly known as Jigsaw) is an exceptionally cruel and psychologically manipulative crypto-ransomware family. Unlike standard ransom... |
| pyfiledel | Ransomware | 4 | Trojan:Python/Pyfiledel is a highly destructive malware classified as a **Wiper**. Unlike ransomware, which encrypts files with the intention of extorting money... |
| coma | File Infector | 3 | The Coma virus is a vintage MS-DOS file infector known for its simplistic yet disruptive payload. Operating as a non-resident parasitic virus, Coma searches the... |
| deleter | Ransomware | 3 | Trojan:Win32/Deleter (often associated with Wiper malware) is a highly destructive trojan whose primary and singular objective is to permanently erase, corrupt,... |
| thanatos | Ransomware | 3 | Ransom:Win32/Thanatos is a notorious **Cryptographic Ransomware** family, but it is infamous for a critical and catastrophic implementation flaw: it is effectiv... |
| blackenergy | Advanced Threat | 1 | BlackEnergy is an advanced, modular persistent threat (APT) framework originally authored in 2007 by Ukrainian hacker Dmytro Oleksiuk (alias 'Cr4sh') as an unde... |
| delfile | Ransomware | 1 | <h3>Executive Summary</h3> Delfile (short for "Delete File") is a generic classification for a destructive Trojan whose primary function is the systematic delet... |
| destructbot | Ransomware | 1 | <h3>Executive Summary</h3> Destructbot is a highly aggressive classification of malware that functions as both a botnet agent and a destructive "wiper." Unlike ... |
| fire | Ransomware | 1 | <h3>Executive Summary</h3> Fire (often detected generically as Virus.Win32.Fire or Trojan.Fire) represents an older class of malicious software that exhibits cl... |
| killmbr | Ransomware | 1 | Trojan:Win32/Killmbr (or KillDisk) is a classification for destructive 'Wiper' malware whose primary function is to obliterate the Master Boot Record (MBR) (`T1... |
| killwin | Ransomware | 1 | <h3>Executive Summary</h3> KillWin is a classification for an extremely destructive category of Trojans (often referred to as "Wipers" or "MBR Killers"). Unlike... |
| krakencryptor | Ransomware | 1 | <h3>Executive Summary</h3> Kraken Cryptor (KrakenCryptor) is a sophisticated Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) operation that encrypts victim data and demands paym... |
| loveletter | Ransomware | 1 | <h3>Executive Summary</h3> Loveletter (infamously known as the "ILOVEYOU" bug) is a historic, highly destructive mass-mailing worm that caused catastrophic glob... |
| magistrcorr | Advanced Threat | 1 | <h3>Executive Summary</h3> Magistrcorr is a heuristic detection applied to variants, remnants, or corrupted (hence "corr") versions of the notorious Win32/Magis... |
| nyxem | Advanced Threat | 1 | <h3>Executive Summary</h3> Nyxem (widely known as Kama Sutra, Blackmal, or MyWife) is a highly destructive mass-mailing computer worm that gained global infamy ... |
| pikachu | Advanced Threat | 1 | <h3>Executive Summary</h3> The Pikachu Worm (often detected as W32/Pikachu.worm) is a classic, early-2000s mass-mailing computer worm designed to appeal to chil... |
| sign0fmisery | Trojan | 1 | <h3>Executive Summary</h3> Sign0fmisery is a classification typically assigned to a specific HackTool or highly destructive Trojan framework. It is designed to ... |
| vxidl | Advanced Threat | 1 | <h3>Executive Summary</h3> Vxidl (often detected as VBS/Vxidl or Virus.VBS.Vxidl) is a classification for legacy script-based viruses and worms, typically writt... |