Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware

The Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware is a variant in the Jigsaw Ransomware family. The Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware, one of the latest variants in this ransomware family, first appeared on August 7, 2018. The Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware attacks target computer users located in Turkey. The Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware family has numerous variants, released only days apart in 2018. Therefore, computer users should protect their machines an data from threats like the Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware.

How the Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware Affects Your Files

The Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware is nearly identical to many other encryption ransomware Trojans that are being used to attack computer users actively. The Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware uses a strong encryption algorithm to make the victim's files completely inaccessible. The Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware attack makes the modified files easy to recognize because the Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware will add the file extension '.dat' to the file's name. Criminals profit from the Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware attack by demanding a ransom payment from the victims in exchange for the decryption key needed to revert the affected files. The criminals using the Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware target the user-generated files, which may include a wide variety of media files, documents and numerous others. The following are examples of the files that are targeted in attacks like the Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware:

.ebd, .jbc, .pst, .ost, .tib, .tbk, .bak, .bac, .abk, .as4, .asd, .ashbak, .backup, .bck, .bdb, .bk1, .bkc, .bkf, .bkp, .boe, .bpa, .bpd, .bup, .cmb, .fbf, .fbw, .fh, .ful, .gho, .ipd, .nb7, .nba, .nbd, .nbf, .nbi, .nbu, .nco, .oeb, .old, .qic, .sn1, .sn2, .sna, .spi, .stg, .uci, .win, .xbk, .iso, .htm, .html, .mht, .p7, .p7c, .pem, .sgn, .sec, .cer, .csr, .djvu, .der, .stl, .crt, .p7b, .pfx, .fb, .fb2, .tif, .tiff, .pdf, .doc, .docx, .docm, .rtf, .xls, .xlsx, .xlsm, .ppt, .pptx, .ppsx, .txt, .cdr, .jpe, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .bmp, .jiff, .jpf, .ply, .pov, .raw, .cf, .cfn, .tbn, .xcf, .xof, .key, .eml, .tbb, .dwf, .egg, .fc2, .fcz, .fg, .fp3, .pab, .oab, .psd, .psb, .pcx, .dwg, .dws, .dxe, .zip, .zipx, .7z, .rar, .rev, .afp, .bfa, .bpk, .bsk, .enc, .rzk, .rzx, .sef, .shy, .snk, .accdb, .ldf, .accdc, .adp, .dbc, .dbx, .dbf, .dbt, .dxl, .edb, .eql, .mdb, .mxl, .mdf, .sql, .sqlite, .sqlite3, .sqlitedb, .kdb, .kdbx, .1cd, .dt, .erf, .lgp, .md, .epf, .efb, .eis, .efn, .emd, .emr, .end, .eog, .erb, .ebn, .ebb, .prefab, .jif, .wor, .csv, .msg, .msf, .kwm, .pwm, .ai, .eps, .abd, .repx, .oxps, .dot.

The Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware delivers a ransom note as soon as the victim's files have been encrypted. The Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware's ransom note is contained in an HTA application message, which delivers the following message to the victim of the Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware attack:

'Your Files Have Been Encrypted!
We have encrypted your files using AES 256 and RSA 20148.
Do not panic, we will let you fix this by sending us a payment.
However I've already encrypted your personal files, so you cannot access them.
Time till file delete.
Send $500 worth of Bitcoin here:
[34 RANDOM CHARCTERS]'

Protecting Your Data from Threats Like the Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware

Contacting the criminals responsible for the Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware or paying the Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware ransom is not recommended at all. Instead, take preventive measures against this threat. The best protection against the Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware and all other encryption ransomware Trojans is to have file backups. A combination of file backups and a strong security program capable of detecting and removing the Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware can help computer users prevent these attacks and ensure that their data is safe from threats like the Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware. Since the typical methods to deliver the Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware are spam email attachments and corrupted software downloads, learning to recognize these infection vectors and dealing with them is one of the best ways of protecting your data from threats like the Jigsaw-Dat Ransomware.