File or Data Deletion

A subject deletes organizational files or data (manually or through tooling) outside authorized workflows, resulting in the loss, concealment, or unavailability of operational assets. This infringement encompasses both targeted deletion (e.g. selected records, logs, or documents) and bulk removal (e.g. recursive deletion of directories or volumes).

Unlike Destructive Malware Deployment, which uses self-propagating or malicious code to irreversibly damage systems, this behavior reflects direct user-driven actions or scripts that remove or purge data without employing destructive payloads. Deletions may be conducted via built-in utilities, custom scripts, scheduled tasks, or misuse of administrative tools such as backup managers or version control systems.

This activity frequently occurs to:

• Conceal evidence of other infringing actions (e.g. log deletion to frustrate investigation)
• Sabotage availability of critical information (e.g. deleting shared drives or project directories)
• Facilitate exfiltration or preparation (e.g. purging redundant files before copying sensitive data)

It may also involve secondary actions such as emptying recycle bins, purging shadow copies, disabling version histories, or wiping removable media to obscure the scope of deletion.