GCP Audit Logs - Detect Bulk VM Snapshot Deletion
| Id | dfdffdc7-929f-4c7e-8f48-30e5ffddb067 |
| Rulename | GCP Audit Logs - Detect Bulk VM Snapshot Deletion |
| Description | Detects bulk deletion of Google Cloud VM snapshots within a short time period, which may indicate data destruction or defense evasion activities. VM snapshots are critical for backup and disaster recovery. Bulk deletion of snapshots can prevent recovery from incidents and may indicate malicious activity such as ransomware, data destruction, or an attempt to cover tracks after a security breach. Adversaries may delete snapshots to maximize damage, prevent forensic investigation, or hinder recovery efforts. This rule triggers when multiple snapshots are deleted by the same user within a 1-minute window. |
| Severity | High |
| Tactics | Impact DefenseEvasion |
| Techniques | T1485 T1490 T1562.001 |
| Required data connectors | GCPAuditLogsDefinition |
| Kind | Scheduled |
| Query frequency | 15m |
| Query period | 15m |
| Trigger threshold | 0 |
| Trigger operator | gt |
| Source Uri | https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Solutions/Google Cloud Platform Audit Logs/Analytic Rules/GCPBulkVMSnapshotDeletion.yaml |
| Version | 1.0.0 |
| Arm template | dfdffdc7-929f-4c7e-8f48-30e5ffddb067.json |
// Update these thresholds if noisy in your environment
let SnapshotDeletionThreshold = 10;
let TimeWindow = 1m;
GCPAuditLogs
| where ServiceName == "compute.googleapis.com"
| where MethodName has "compute.snapshots.delete"
| where GCPResourceType == "gce_snapshot" and Severity == "NOTICE"
| extend
AuthzInfoJson = parse_json(AuthorizationInfo),
RequestMetadataJson = parse_json(RequestMetadata),
ResponseJson = parse_json(Response)
| extend PermissionType = tostring(AuthzInfoJson[0].permissionType)
| where PermissionType == "ADMIN_WRITE"
| extend
CallerIpAddress = tostring(RequestMetadataJson.callerIp),
UserAgent = tostring(RequestMetadataJson.callerSuppliedUserAgent),
SnapshotName = extract(@"snapshots/([^/]+)", 1, GCPResourceName),
OperationType = tostring(ResponseJson.operationType),
OperationId = tostring(ResponseJson.id)
| summarize
SnapshotCount = count(),
SnapshotList = make_set(SnapshotName, 100),
FirstDeletion = min(TimeGenerated),
LastDeletion = max(TimeGenerated),
OperationIds = make_set(OperationId, 100),
CallerIPs = make_set(CallerIpAddress, 10)
by PrincipalEmail, ProjectId, UserAgent
| where SnapshotCount >= SnapshotDeletionThreshold
| extend DeletionTimeSpan = LastDeletion - FirstDeletion
| where DeletionTimeSpan <= TimeWindow
| extend
AccountName = tostring(split(PrincipalEmail, "@")[0]),
AccountUPNSuffix = tostring(split(PrincipalEmail, "@")[1])
| project
TimeGenerated = FirstDeletion,
PrincipalEmail,
ProjectId,
SnapshotCount,
SnapshotList,
FirstDeletion,
LastDeletion,
DeletionTimeSpan,
CallerIPs,
UserAgent,
OperationIds,
AccountName,
AccountUPNSuffix
OriginalUri: https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Solutions/Google Cloud Platform Audit Logs/Analytic Rules/GCPBulkVMSnapshotDeletion.yaml
queryPeriod: 15m
description: |
'Detects bulk deletion of Google Cloud VM snapshots within a short time period, which may indicate data destruction or defense evasion activities.
VM snapshots are critical for backup and disaster recovery. Bulk deletion of snapshots can prevent recovery from incidents and may indicate
malicious activity such as ransomware, data destruction, or an attempt to cover tracks after a security breach.
Adversaries may delete snapshots to maximize damage, prevent forensic investigation, or hinder recovery efforts.
This rule triggers when multiple snapshots are deleted by the same user within a 1-minute window.'
tags:
- GCP
- Compute
- Data Destruction
- Cloud Security
triggerThreshold: 0
name: GCP Audit Logs - Detect Bulk VM Snapshot Deletion
triggerOperator: gt
entityMappings:
- entityType: Account
fieldMappings:
- identifier: FullName
columnName: PrincipalEmail
- identifier: Name
columnName: AccountName
- identifier: UPNSuffix
columnName: AccountUPNSuffix
- entityType: CloudApplication
fieldMappings:
- identifier: Name
columnName: ProjectId
kind: Scheduled
requiredDataConnectors:
- connectorId: GCPAuditLogsDefinition
dataTypes:
- GCPAuditLogs
customDetails:
FirstDeletion: FirstDeletion
UserAgent: UserAgent
ProjectId: ProjectId
SnapshotList: SnapshotList
LastDeletion: LastDeletion
SnapshotCount: SnapshotCount
CallerIPs: CallerIPs
DeletionTimeSpan: DeletionTimeSpan
queryFrequency: 15m
tactics:
- Impact
- DefenseEvasion
id: dfdffdc7-929f-4c7e-8f48-30e5ffddb067
status: Available
version: 1.0.0
query: |
// Update these thresholds if noisy in your environment
let SnapshotDeletionThreshold = 10;
let TimeWindow = 1m;
GCPAuditLogs
| where ServiceName == "compute.googleapis.com"
| where MethodName has "compute.snapshots.delete"
| where GCPResourceType == "gce_snapshot" and Severity == "NOTICE"
| extend
AuthzInfoJson = parse_json(AuthorizationInfo),
RequestMetadataJson = parse_json(RequestMetadata),
ResponseJson = parse_json(Response)
| extend PermissionType = tostring(AuthzInfoJson[0].permissionType)
| where PermissionType == "ADMIN_WRITE"
| extend
CallerIpAddress = tostring(RequestMetadataJson.callerIp),
UserAgent = tostring(RequestMetadataJson.callerSuppliedUserAgent),
SnapshotName = extract(@"snapshots/([^/]+)", 1, GCPResourceName),
OperationType = tostring(ResponseJson.operationType),
OperationId = tostring(ResponseJson.id)
| summarize
SnapshotCount = count(),
SnapshotList = make_set(SnapshotName, 100),
FirstDeletion = min(TimeGenerated),
LastDeletion = max(TimeGenerated),
OperationIds = make_set(OperationId, 100),
CallerIPs = make_set(CallerIpAddress, 10)
by PrincipalEmail, ProjectId, UserAgent
| where SnapshotCount >= SnapshotDeletionThreshold
| extend DeletionTimeSpan = LastDeletion - FirstDeletion
| where DeletionTimeSpan <= TimeWindow
| extend
AccountName = tostring(split(PrincipalEmail, "@")[0]),
AccountUPNSuffix = tostring(split(PrincipalEmail, "@")[1])
| project
TimeGenerated = FirstDeletion,
PrincipalEmail,
ProjectId,
SnapshotCount,
SnapshotList,
FirstDeletion,
LastDeletion,
DeletionTimeSpan,
CallerIPs,
UserAgent,
OperationIds,
AccountName,
AccountUPNSuffix
alertDetailsOverride:
alertDescriptionFormat: |-
User {{PrincipalEmail}} deleted {{SnapshotCount}} VM snapshots in project {{ProjectId}} within a short time period.
This may indicate ransomware, data destruction, or defense evasion activity. Verify authorization, check remaining snapshots, review IP addresses, and investigate for compromise.
alertDisplayNameFormat: 'Bulk VM Snapshot Deletion: {{SnapshotCount}} snapshots deleted by {{PrincipalEmail}} in {{ProjectId}}'
severity: High
relevantTechniques:
- T1485
- T1490
- T1562.001