Sigma rule: Time Machine Backup Deletion Attempt Via Tmutil - MacOS

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-1203b595fa03, updated 2024-05-29T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
Time Machine Backup Deletion Attempt Via Tmutil - MacOS
Status
test
Level
medium
Author
Pratinav Chandra
Date
2024-05-29
File
rules/macos/process_creation/proc_creation_macos_tmutil_delete_backup.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects deletion attempts of MacOS Time Machine backups via the native backup utility "tmutil".
An adversary may perform this action before launching a ransonware attack to prevent the victim from restoring their files.

Log source

product
macos
category
process_creation

Detection

selection_img:
    - Image|endswith: '/tmutil'
    - CommandLine|contains: 'tmutil'
selection_cmd:
    CommandLine|contains: 'delete'
condition: all of selection_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Legitimate activities

Tags

  • attack.impact
  • attack.t1490

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

References

Read on 2026-11-03T00:58:21.399Z under licence sigma-drl-1.1@d5f4c36a from https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/macos/process_creation/proc_creation_macos_tmutil_delete_backup.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "Time Machine Backup Deletion Attempt Via Tmutil - MacOS" by Pratinav Chandra (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/macos/process_creation/proc_creation_macos_tmutil_delete_backup.yml.
    Licensed under the Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/Detection-Rule-License

    Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1

Cite this page

Dragons Eye Ransomware Tracker, "Sigma rule: Time Machine Backup Deletion Attempt Via Tmutil - MacOS",
entity page, dataset version ref-1203b595fa03, updated 2024-05-29T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/452df256-da78-427a-866f-49fa04417d74 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 452df256-da78-427a-866f-49fa04417d74, commit ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84.

Pages change. The dataset version identifies the data, but no archive of old versions is kept, so this citation cannot be replayed later.