JagerDecryptor – this is what victims of the Jager ransomware see after their files have been encoded using a strong AES-256 and RSA-2048 encryption ciphers. This type of ransomware attacks has increased in both numbers and sophistication. The cyber-criminals behind Jager ransomware leave a ransom note asking victims to pay the sum of 100$ to restore their files. After 24 hours the price becomes 150$ and after 48h – 200$. On top of this, the virus threatens to destroy the decryption keys in 72 hours.
Everyone whose computer has been infected by Jager ransomware is advised to immediately remove this virus and try other methods to restore their files instead of paying the ransom. In this article, we have provided more information about this virus as well as instructions on how to remove Jager and try to restore your files.
Threat Summary
| Name | Jager |
| Type | Ransomware |
| Short Description | Jager uses a combination of AES-256 and RSA-2048 ciphers to encrypt the files of victims and ask 100$ for decryption as a payment in BitCoins. |
| Symptoms | The user may witness ransom message in a “Important_Read_Me.html” file which explains that there are 72 hours to pay the ransom otherwise the files will be gone forever. |
| Distribution Method | Via exploit kits, drive by download, JavaScript attacks or PUPs. |
| Detection Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Jager Download Malware Removal Tool |
| User Experience | Join our forum to Discuss Jager Ransomware. |
How Does Jager Ransomware Spread
Cyber-criminals behind Jager ransomware may use a wide variety of tools to spread this ransomware, hide it from anti-malware software and other functions:
- Obfuscation software.
- File joiners which bundle executables with different scripts.
- Exploit kits to conduct successful infection.
- JavaScript code.
- Spam bots or spam services to spread the file encryption malware.
The most commonly used spam technique is associated with massive spam e-mail campaigns. Such may either contain two types of malicious objects:
Malicious files uploaded as attachments to the e-mail. They may be Microsoft Office documents with malicious macros which are activated after you click on the “Enable Editing” button. They may also be .js files or executables appearing to look like pictures or other types of files.
Malicious web links. They may contain malicious scripts that induce a drive-by download attack. The links may originally appear legitimate, and this is because they are, however, they cause a redirect to the malicious host which infects the computer without the user’s knowledge.
The e-mails sent by cyber-criminals usually appear to resemble messages from legitimate services like PayPal, eBay or other services.
Jager Ransomware – In Depth Analysis
After it has slipped past the defenses of a targeted machine, Jager Ransomware uses advanced techniques to run while being obfuscated and drop its payload. The virus may create files in the following targeted Windows directories:
- %AppData%
- %Temp%
- %Windows%
- %Common%
- %Roaming%
- %Local%
The files may either have completely random names, names that resemble legitimate programs or their installers and even names which make them seem like legitimate Windows processes in Windows Task Manager, for example, svchost.exe.
After it has dropped its malicious files, Jager ransomware may also create custom values for its encryption file to run on Windows startup. This is achievable by modifying the Run or RunOnce registry keys:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
When Jager Ransowmare begins to encipher user files, it scans for a wide variety of file types:
→ .3dm, .3ds, .3g2, .3gp, .7z, .accdb, .aes, .ai, .aif, .apk, .app, .arc, .asc, .asf, .asm, .asp, .aspx, .asx, .avi, .bmp, .brd, .bz2, .c, .cer, .cfg, .cfm, .cgi, .cgm, .class, .cmd, .cpp, .crt, .cs, .csr, .css, .csv, .cue, .db, .dbf, .dch, .dcu, .dds, .dif, .dip, .djv, .djvu, .doc, .docb, .docm, .docx, .dot, .dotm, .dotx, .dtd, .dwg, .dxf, .eml, .eps, .fdb, .fla, .flv, .frm, .gadget, .gbk, .gbr, .ged, .gif, .gpg, .gpx, .gz, .h, .htm, .html, .hwp, .ibd, .ibooks, .iff, .indd, .jar, .java, .jks, .jpg, .js, .jsp, .key, .kml, .kmz, .lay, .lay6, .ldf, .lua, .m, .m3u, .m4a, .m4v, .max, .mdb, .mdf, .mfd, .mid, .mkv, .mml, .mov, .mp3, .mp4, .mpa, .mpg, .ms11, .msi, .myd, .myi, .nef, .note, .obj, .odb, .odg, .odp, .ods, .odt, .otg, .otp, .ots, .ott, .p12, .pages, .paq, .pas, .pct, .pdb, .pdf, .pem, .php, .pif, .pl, .plugin, .png, .pot, .potm, .potx, .ppam, .pps, .ppsm, .ppsx, .ppt, .pptm, .pptx, .prf, .priv, .privat, .ps, .psd, .pspimage, .py, .qcow2, .ra, .rar, .raw, .rm, .rss, .rtf, .sch, .sdf, .sh, .sitx, .sldx, .slk, .sln, .sql, .sqlite, .sqlite, .srt, .stc, .std, .sti, .stw, .svg, .swf, .sxc, .sxd, .sxi, .sxm, .sxw, .tar, .tbk, .tex, .tga, .tgz, .thm, .tif, .tiff, .tlb, .tmp, .txt, .uop, .uot, .vb, .vbs, .vcf, .vcxpro, .vdi, .vmdk, .vmx, .vob, .wav, .wks, .wma, .wmv, .wpd, .wps, .wsf, .xcodeproj, .xhtml, .xlc, .xlm, .xlr, .xls, .xlsb, .xlsm, .xlsx, .xlt, .xltm, .xltx, .xlw, .xml, .yuv, .zip, .zipx, .dat Source: Trendmicro
After encrypting the files, their first 4 bytes of code begins with the indication ! ENC. The ransomware then drops an .HTML file named “Important_Read_Me.html”. It aims to scare the affected user into paying the ransom by giving short deadlines and threatening to destroy any decryption possibilities.
The message is the following:
Decryption price: 100$
Decryption price after 24h: 150$
Decryption price after 48h: 200$
After 72h: All your files will be unrecoverable
Contact us with email for more information about price and payment process ([email protected]) don’t forget to include your unique id ({USER ID HERE})
We will use BitCoins for payment. If you haven:
1. Start by creating a BitCoin wallet(we recommend Blockchain.info)
2. Buy necessary amount of BitCoins, our recommendations:
→ Btcdirect.eu – A good service for Europe
Bittylicious.com – Get BTC via Visa/MC or SEPA (EU) bank transfer
Cex.io – Buy Bitcoins using Visa / Mastercard or Wire Transfer.
Coincafe.com – It is recommended for the fast and easy service. Payment methods: Western Union, Bank of America, cash through FedEx, Moneygram, and/or wire transfer
Bitstamp.net – Old and proven Bitcoin dealer
Btc-e.com – Bitcoins dealer (Visa/Mastercard, etc.)
Buybitcoinworldwide.com – International catalog of Bitcoins exchanges
Bitcoin-net.com – Another Bitcoins sellers catalog
Howtobuybitcoins.info – International catalog of Bitcoins exchanges
Bittybot.co/eu/ – A catalog for the European Union
We will decrypt one file for free which is less than 200KB to show that our decryptor works. You can find this document in desktop and documents folders
Jager Ransomware’s Encryption Explained
The encryption algorithms which are being used by Jager ransomware are the following:
- RSA-2048 (Rivest Shamir Adleman).
- AES-256 (Advanced Encryption Standard).
The encryption process is rather sophisticated but to simply explain it, the AES cipher is used to encrypt the files, changing their hex code structure. It may not encrypt the entire file. Instead it may use bits of data which it encodes. This is enough to render the file unusable.
The RSA cipher may then be used to encrypt the AES decryption key which is created after the encryption of the files is done.
The encryption procedure by Jager may look like the sequence in the following image:
Source: Wikipedia.com
Related Article: Ransomware Encryption Explained – Why Is It So Effective?
To decrypt the files, the cyber-criminals use the reverse procedure – they have programmed a decryptor which works with the RSA key which is sent to them. After they upload the files on the decryptor, it simply uses the key, unlocks the file and then it can be used again.
However, if the affected user tries direct decryption by using different factorization methods, it will take an enormous amount of time.
Related Article: Restore Files Encrypted via RSA Encryption
These ciphers (RSA and AES) are some of the top algorithms used by the government to encrypt top secret files and their decryption if you do not know the key may take hundreds of years if your computer does not break by that time.
Remove Jager Ransomware and Try To Restore the Encoded Files
Jager ransomware is a very powerful virus. It may spread even further, and experts strongly advise users to employ a relevant ransomware protection against it. It is also highly recommended not to pay any ransom and wait for a decrypter to be released out to the public which may happen eventually. Malware researchers are constantly analyzing viruses and discovering holes in their code which eventually allow them to create free decryptors.
We advise you to follow the removal instructions below to delete Jager ransomware completely and wait for us to update this article with a decrypter. In the meantime, you may attempt the other methods for file restoration which we have provided in step “3. Restore files encrypted by Jager” below. They may not be 100% successful, but there is a chance you may restore at least some of your files for free which is a good temporary solution until a decryptor is released.
