{
  "timestamp": "2025-02-05T23:37:23.943159",
  "model": "deepseek/deepseek-r1-distill-llama-70b",
  "request": {
    "messages": [
      {
        "role": "system",
        "content": "You are a security advisor providing end-user guidance on data security and protection.\n            Focus on practical, easy-to-follow security recommendations."
      },
      {
        "role": "user",
        "content": "\n            Provide clear security guidance based on:\n            \n            Content to reference:\n            Search Free Trial Get Demo Locky 2? Jaff Ransomware Launched from Necurs Botnet May 15, 2017 Despite WannaCrypt grabbing all the headlines, it is far from being the only ransomware in circulation. A second wave of Jaff ransomware is now being distributed by the stealthy Necurs botnet. Starting on Monday, May 8 around 930 UTC, the Necurs botnet was harnessed to distribute a new Locky-style email campaign with an initial global outbreak of around 20 million emails. Cyren saw and blocked about 50 million Jaff emails in less than 24 hours during a subsequent wave, and on Thursday approximately 65 million Jaff emails were detected and blocked. Locky Redux? There are signs that the same group responsible for Locky and Dridex are also at work here. Because of Necurs size and stealth, we predict that this attack campaign will be persistent and large-scale. Initial Locky distributions in Q1 2016 were about one-tenth the size of the later massive Locky outbreaks seen in Q4 2016  if this pattern holds true, and this is a merely timid beginning by Jaff, future volumes will be enormous. What is the difference between WannaCrypt and Jaff? In both WannaCrypt and Jaff the criminal motives are the same, extorting victims for money by holding files for ransom. However, while keeping your operating system up-to-date with the latest security patches may get you out of being infected by WannaCrypt, there is no guarantee of such protection in most ransomware campaigns. The vulnerability Jaff exploits is the human factor, and user action is always required for the attack to work. Compared to other ransomware campaigns, Jaff is asking an unusually high ransom payment, approximately 3,800 per infection. The highly profiled WannaCrypt asks for 300, increasing to 600 if the ransom has not been paid after a week. How does Jaff work? Jaff is distributed with an email campaign sent from the Necurs botnet. Typically, such emails contain a message body designed to trick the user into opening the attachment, but here Jaff differs. The email contains only an attachment and the message body is either blank or just has the name of the attachment  we assume to make users curious enough to simply open the attachment. In the first attack, the emails had names like Document_random number.pdf and Scan_random number.pdf. Subsequent outbreaks mainly used attachment names with only numbers. The attached PDF has an embedded docm file  a document file containing a macro. Depending on the version of Adobe, the document will either prompt the user to open the embedded doc, or it will automatically launch MS Word. Once opened, the user is prompted to enable editing and content. Hyper-Evasive Tactics Varied in Every Wave to Evade Detection The attackers vary all parts of the attack during each wave to make detection of the emails and various files more complex The names of the files and the email subjects are randomly changed The order of actions taken by the pdf script is changed The Word macro that constructs the download link and downloads the file is different in each variant The download links are changed Macro Downloads Ransomware After being enabled, the macro downloads the Jaff ransomware executable file from one of a list of hardcoded URLs as seen in the picture below, in this specific case djkammerthal.dehHGFjd. The downloaded binary is decrypted by the macro, installed and executed. First, the program connects to a CC server to let the attackers know of a new infection.  ... method GET, host h552terriddows.com, uri a5, ... status_code 201, status_msg Created,  Excerpt from the CC check-in. File Formats Encrypted After check-in, the encryption of files on the victim computer starts. Encryption using RSA-2048 key AES CBC 256-bit encryption algorithm is used and a .jaff extension is appended to the encrypted files. The following file formats are encrypted xlsx .acd .pdf .pfx .crt .der .cad .dwg .MPEG .rar .veg .zip .txt .jpg .doc .wbk .mdb .vcf .docx .ics .vsc .mdf .dsr .mdi .msg .xls .ppt .pps .obd .mpd .dot .xlt .pot .obt .htm .html .mix .pub .vsd .png .ico .rtf .odt .3dm .3ds .dxf .max .obj .7z .cbr .deb .gz .rpm .sitx .tar .tar.gz .zipx .aif .iff .m3u .m4a .mid .key .vib .stl .psd .ova .xmod .wda .prn .zpf .swm .xml .xlsm .par .tib .waw .001 .002 .003 .004 .005 .006 .007 .008 .009 .010 .contact .dbx .jnt .mapimail .oab .ods .ppsm .pptm .prf .pst .wab .1cd .3g2 .7ZIP .accdb .aoi .asf .asp. aspx .asx .avi .bak .cer .cfg .class .config .css .csv .db .dds .fif .flv .idx .js .kwm .laccdb .idf .lit .mbx .md .mlb .mov .mp3 .mp4 .mpg .pages .php .pwm .rm .safe .sav .save .sql .srt .swf .thm .vob .wav .wma .wmv .xlsb .aac .ai .arw .c .cdr .cls .cpi .cpp .cs .db3 .docm .dotm .dotx .drw .dxb .eps .fla .flac .fxg .java .m .m4v .pcd .pct .pl .potm .potx .ppam .ppsx .ps .pspimage .r3d .rw2 .sldm .sldx .svg .tga .wps .xla .xlam .xlm .xltm .xltx .xlw .act .adp .al .bkp .blend .cdf .cdx .cgm .cr2 .dac .dbf .dcr .ddd .design .dtd .fdb .fff .fpx .h .iif .indd .jpeg .mos .nd .nsd .nsf .nsg .nsh .odc .odp .oil .pas .pat .pef .ptx .qbb .qbm .sas7bdat .say .st4 .st6 .stc .sxc .sxw .tlg .wad .xlk .aiff .bin .bmp .cmt .dat .dit .edb .flvv .gif .groups .hdd .hpp .log .m2ts .m4p .mkv .ndf .nvram .ogg .ost .pab .pdb .pif .qed .qcow .qcow2 .rvt .st7 .stm .vbox .vdi .vhd .vhdx .vmdk .vmsd .vmx .vmxf .3fr .3pr .ab4 .accde .accdt .ach .acr .adb .srw .st5 .st8 .std .sti .stw .stx .sxd .sxg .sxi .sxm .tex .wallet .wb2 .wpd .x11 .x3f .xis .ycbcra .qbw .qbx .qby .raf .rat .raw .rdb rwl .rwz .s3db .sd0 .sda .sdf .sqlite .sqlite3 .sqlitedb .sr .srf .oth .otp .ots .ott .p12 .p7b .p7c .pdd .pem .plus_muhd .plc .pptx .psafe3 .py .qba .qbr.myd .ndd .nef .nk .nop .nrw .ns2 .ns3 .ns4 .nwb .nx2 .nxl .nyf .odb .odf .odg .odm .ord .otg .ibz .iiq .incpas .jpe .kc2 .kdbx .kdc .kpdx .lua .mdc .mef .mfw .mmw .mny .moneywell .mrw.des .dgc .djvu .dng .drf .dxg .eml .erbsql .erd .exf .ffd .fh .fhd .gray .grey .gry .hbk .ibank .ibd .cdr4 .cdr5 .cdr6 .cdrw .ce1 .ce2 .cib .craw .crw .csh .csl .db_journal .dc2 .dcs .ddoc .ddrw .ads .agdl .ait .apj .asm .awg .back .backup .backupdb .bank .bay .bdb .bgt .bik .bpw .cdr3 .as4 The picture above shows a folder after encryption of files. The two Readme.bmp and Readme.html files give instructions on how the victim can pay the ransom to decrypt the files. Payment Demand! Opening one of these reveals the instructions for paying the ransom. The note is also left on the desktop. Samples Used in this Analysis PDF attachment  sha256 edf33d5a18395b62d8ad81e6792d074e5c6e74fc21e0c23bdc6f11a0caaeb2a6 Malicious macro document  sha256dc0cb56ed4b47f1b5269da19472fef37e27d6f18a40d82785e13727818960633 Ransomware executable  sha25641bce3e382cee06aa65fbee15fd38f7187fb090d5da78d868f57c84197689287 Examples of Jaff download URLs 5hdnnd74fffrottd.comafhHGFjd bianshop.comhHGFjd bizcleaning.co.ukhHGFjd boolas.comhHGFjd byydei74fg43ff4f.netafhHGFjd dcfarbicka.skhHGFjd diasgroup.skhHGFjd djkammerthal.dehHGFjd dovahosting.comhHGFjd dsintergrated.comhHGFjd ecbuyjp.comhHGFjd ecuamiaflowers.comhHGFjd energybalancecenter.nlhHGFjd fotografikum.comhHGFjd hncdc.orghHGFjd hrlpk.comhHGFjd oyasinsaat.com.trhHGFjd phoicanh3d.comhHGFjd ppapmoozamiz.comhHGFjd rooana.comhHGFjd sjffonrvcik45bd.infoafhHGFjd tutmacli.comhHGFjd urachart.comhHGFjd vasroc.pthHGFjd vbplan.dehHGFjd For further information on this topic, also consult Cyrens CyberThreat Report,  Drowning in Ransomware An In-depth Look at the Ransomware Phenomenon  and the on-demand webinar Confronting the Ransomware Crisis Best Practices for Securing Your Business . Try it for Free Instant Data Classification Cyren URL Category Chacker Prev WannaCrypt Ransomware Spreads Like A Worm Via NSA Exploit CEO and Chairman of Cyren Shares Insight On The Evolving Security Market Next Company Partners Resources Investor Relations Products Freeware Demo Solutions Contact Us Privacy Management Service by Data443\n            \n            Your guidance should include:\n            1. Easy-to-follow security best practices\n            2. Data protection recommendations\n            3. Safe usage guidelines\n            4. Common security risks and prevention\n            5. Privacy protection measures\n            6. When to seek additional security support\n            "
      }
    ],
    "model": "deepseek/deepseek-r1-distill-llama-70b"
  },
  "response": {
    "content": "**Security Advisory: Protecting Against Jaff Ransomware and Similar Threats**\n\nThe Jaff ransomware, distributed through the Necurs botnet, poses a significant threat to individuals and organizations by encrypting files and demanding a high ransom payment. To help you stay safe and protect your data, here are clear, practical security recommendations:\n\n---\n\n### **1. Easy-to-Follow Security Best Practices**\n\n#### **a. Be Cautious with Emails and Attachments**\n- **Avoid opening unsolicited emails**, especially those with vague or blank message bodies.\n- **Do not open attachments** (e.g., PDFs or documents) from unknown or untrusted sources.\n- **Never enable macros** in documents unless you areAbsolutely sure they are safe and from a trusted source.\n\n#### **b. Use Strong Antivirus and Endpoint Protection**\n- Ensure all devices are protected by reputable antivirus software with real-time scanning enabled.\n- Keep antivirus signatures updated to detect the latest threats.\n\n#### **c. Keep Software and Systems Updated**\n- Regularly update your operating system, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Office, and other software to patch vulnerabilities.\n\n#### **d. Use a Secure Backup Solution**\n- **Regularly back up critical data** to an external drive, cloud storage, or a secure off-site location.\n- Ensure backups are encrypted and not permanently connected to your network.\n\n---\n\n### **2. Data Protection Recommendations**\n\n#### **a. Encrypt Sensitive Data**\n- Use encryption for sensitive files and data at rest and in transit.\n- Consider encrypting entire drives using BitLocker (Windows) or FileVault (macOS).\n\n#### **b. Implement Network Segmentation**\n- Segment your network to limit lateral movement of malware in case of an infection.\n- Restrict access to sensitive data only to those who need it.\n\n#### **c. Use Cloud Services with Care**\n- Use reputable cloud storage services with built-in encryption and versioning.\n- Avoid storing highly sensitive data in public cloud services unless necessary.\n\n---\n\n### **3. Safe Usage Guidelines**\n\n#### **a. Avoid downloads from untrusted sources**\n- Do not download files or software from unverified websites or links.\n\n#### **b. Disable Macros by Default**\n- Configure Microsoft Office to disable macros by default.\n- Only enable macros for trusted, verified documents.\n\n#### **c. Use Secure Communication Channels**\n- Avoid sharing sensitive information via email or unencrypted messaging apps.\n- Use encrypted communication tools like Signal or WhatsApp.\n\n---\n\n### **4. Common Security Risks and Prevention**\n\n#### **a. Phishing and Social Engineering**\n- Jaff and other ransomware often rely on human error to infect systems. Be vigilant and educate yourself and others on phishing tactics.\n- Use email filtering tools to block suspicious emails.\n\n#### **b. Malicious Attachments**\n- Attachments like PDFs with embedded Word documents (e.g., *.docm files) are common vectors for ransomware. Avoid opening them unless absolutely necessary.\n\n#### **c. Ransomware Propagation**\n- Ransomware can spread via USB drives, infected websites, or exploited vulnerabilities.\n- Use hardware firewalls and intrusion detection/prevention systems to monitor network traffic.\n\n---\n\n### **5. Privacy Protection Measures**\n\n#### **a. Minimize Data Exposure**\n- Limit the amount of sensitive data stored on devices that could be exposed during an attack.\n- Use encryption to protect data both in transit and at rest.\n\n#### **b. Use Privacy-Focused Tools**\n- Use VPNs to encrypt internet traffic when accessing public Wi-Fi or untrusted networks.\n- Avoid using public Wi-Fi for sensitive transactions.\n\n---\n\n### **6. When to Seek Additional Security Support**\n\n#### **a. If You\u2019re Infected**\n- Immediately disconnect from the internet to prevent further damage.\n- Do not pay the ransom unless absolutely necessary. Contact law enforcement or a cybersecurity professional for assistance.\n\n#### **b. For Large-Scale Threats**\n- If your organization is targeted in a widespread attack, engage a cybersecurity firm to assess and mitigate the damage.\n\n#### **c. For High-Risk Situations**\n- If you handle sensitive data (e.g., healthcare, finance, or government), consult with a security expert to implement advanced protective measures.\n\n---\n\nBy following these recommendations, you can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to Jaff ransomware and other data security threats. Stay vigilant, stay informed, and always prioritize data protection.",
    "usage": {
      "prompt_tokens": 2624,
      "completion_tokens": 1318,
      "total_tokens": 3942
    },
    "model": "deepseek/deepseek-r1-distill-llama-70b"
  }
}