The variants of STOP/DJVU malware have remained a menace over the years as the operators behind it continue releasing series of ransomware for user extortion purposes. From what could be obtained, this latest ransomware virus is similar to other variants before it excerpts for some minor alterations. In fact, the ransom note it drops is identical to the one used in previous versions.

Contents of the ransom note

To scare the victim, the cybercriminals would emphasize that JJWW ransomware virus has successfully rendered all files contained in the computer useless (including all documents, videos, and pictures among others). Based on that, the victim is left with no choice than to comply with their demands by paying ransom fees. They would also drop two email addresses to facilitate further discussions: support@bestyourmail.ch and supportsys@airmail.cc. In addition, the crooks would also notify the victim about terms and conditions associated with the payment and the specific amount of money to pay. They would claim that even though the ransom fee is $980 but they would be willing to accept $490, that is half it, provided that payment must be made before 72 hours elapses. Anything contrary to that means that a full ransom fee would have to be paid.  If the victim tries to reach out to them, the cybercriminals would reel out more conditions by letting them know that the ransom fee can only paid using cryptocurrency. The exact amount would have to be converted to cryptocurrency and transferred to a wallet address of their choice. The apparent argument why they use such anonymous medium is to cover their tracks and prevent possible arrest. Regardless, victims of cyber-attack are advised not to cooperate with cybercriminals, no matter the pressure. The FBI and other renowned security organizations globally warn against paying cybercriminals ransom. Here are some of the reasons given by them: 

By law, paying ransom is considered illegal.It does not guarantee that encrypted files will be restored.When victims pay ransom, they unwittingly encourage criminality since it now becomes profitable for those involved in it. The more funds they receive, the more they can expand their operations. 

You should also take note that aside the primary threat – JJWW ransomware virus, other Trojans such as VIDAR and AZORULT are equally spread during the process. These Trojans are used in stealing sensitive personal information that may include banking details, cryptocurrency wallets, passwords, and software login credentials among others.  Suppose you’re unfortunate to have your computer infected with this malware. In that case, you should remove JJWW ransomware virus as quickly as possible to contain its destructive effects. The most effective way to go about it is to login to the infected computer through Safe Mode with Networking option before installing and scanning genuine antivirus software. Make sure you’re using only antivirus with proven effectiveness. On top of that, you may want to download RESTORO which is great for specifically repairing virus-damaged Windows OS files.

Ransomware Summary

REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE See how files encrypted by this ransomware virus look like.

Methods Used By Cybercriminals in Spreading Ransomware

There are diverse methods often used by cybercriminals in distributing JJWW virus and other STOP/DJVU ransomware virus. However, we will be focusing on the common ones i.e. use of online malicious torrent platforms and emails/attachments. In the former, cybercriminals would clone popular software contents and embed them with malware before uploading them to online torrent platforms. When computer users download them as freebies on their computers, they end up triggering a ransomware attack. Some of the highly sought-after software contents usually pirated and used as baits by cybercriminals are listed below: 

Adobe Illustrator;Internet Download Manager;Fifa 20;AutoCad;Adobe Photoshop;Corel Draw;VMware Workstation;Cubase;Opera browser;League of Legends;KMSPico (illegal Windows activation tool).Tenorshare 4ukey;

Computer users that habitually visit online torrent platforms or indulge in the sharing of software using peer-to-peer platforms are putting their systems at significant risk. Aside the fact that it’s morally wrong to use copyrighted products without authorization, you will also be at risk of losing important files or asked to pay huge sums of money as ransom fee.  The second method often used by cybercriminals in distributing malware is the use of malicious email attachments. They would craft convincing messages and attachments using files like PDF, XLS or DOCX among similar ones that allow macro functions. The major challenge is how to decipher emails that are genuine and those from cybercriminals. For victims of the STOP/DJVU ransomware virus, it would be in your best interest to ignore any website that claims to have decryption solutions because they’re most likely to be fraudulent. Only brands like DiskTuna and Emsisoft have proven to be effective. 

Other information you need to know about JJWW Virus

This section explains in greater details what happens during JJWW ransomware attack. Firstly, it would launch build.exe or build2.exe in combination with winupdate.exe (the popup that displays fake update screen). Afterwards, the virus will connect with https[:]//api.2ip.ua/geo.json and will save the outcome in the geo.json file. At this point, it will start gathering information concerning the computer, such as the IP address, geo-location, time zone, zip code, longitude, and latitude, etc. These pieces of information will guide the ransomware whether to encrypt the files or bypass the computer altogether. For reasons best known to them, the cybercriminals designated certain countries as encryption-exempted, and they include Russia, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kazachstan, Ukraine, Syria, and Kyrgyzstan. If they detect that a computer under attack is domiciled in any of these countries, they would consider the idea of terminating the mission. However, if the geo-location test reads negative, the ransomware would then extract the online encryption key and would merge it with the ID created for the victim before saving them into the bowsakkdestx.txt file and the ID individually to the PersonalID.txt file.  In cases whereby the virus couldn’t get online encryption key from the main server, they will resort to the use of a hardcoded offline key as alternative. The major difference between both ID’s is that online version is unique for each victim and thus difficult to “crack” while the offline key is uniform for all victims of particular ransomware. Victims would be lucky if an offline key was used during an attack because it brightens the chance of decrypting their files successfully. To know if an offline key was used, you should look out for t1 characters appended to the personal ID.  Having gotten to this stage, the ransomware will now begin full-scale data encryption by scanning all folders while encrypting them with Salsa20 before making use of the RSA-2048 code in locking the encryption key.   To complete the ransomware attack, the malware will add more domains to Windows HOSTS file before mapping them to localhost IP and would now effectively prevent the victim from accessing them. When the victim makes attempt to browse such domains, an error message DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN would spring up. The reason why they lock out the victim is to prevent them from getting help online. 

How to Remove JJWW Ransomware Virus and Also Restore Affected Files

The general advice given to victims of this STOP/DJVU malware is to remove JJWW ransomware from their system ASAP once it is detected. This is to stop further damage and also to be able to salvage some of the affected files wherever possible. The best way to go about it is to boot your computer using Safe Mode with Networking and thereafter scanning any available genuine antivirus. We also suggest the download and use of RESTORO in repairing some of the affected Windows OS files.   Here are the steps to follow now that JJWW ransomware removal is completed:

You’re advised to report the incident to the local police or any relevant government agency vested to handle such issues within your region. It is time to make use of any data backup you must have created in the past, prior to the ransomware attack. You may also conduct research on possible ways you can repair files encrypted by STOP/DJVU ransomware virus. All passwords that were previously used on the compromised computer should be changed immediately.

OUR GEEKS RECOMMEND Our team recommends a two-step rescue plan to remove ransomware and other remaining malware from your computer, plus repair caused virus damage to the system: GeeksAdvice.com editors select recommended products based on their effectiveness. We may earn a commission from affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. Learn more. Get INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Windows to remove ransomware, Trojans, adware and other spyware and malware variants and protect your PC and network drives 24/7. This VB100-certified security software uses state-of-art technology to provide protection against ransomware, Zero-Day attacks and advanced threats, Intego Web Shield blocks dangerous websites, phishing attacks, malicious downloads and installation of potentially unwanted programs. Use INTEGO Antivirus to remove detected threats from your computer. Read full review here. RESTORO provides a free scan that helps to identify hardware, security and stability issues and presents a comprehensive report which can help you to locate and fix detected issues manually. It is a great PC repair software to use after you remove malware with professional antivirus. The full version of software will fix detected issues and repair virus damage caused to your Windows OS files automatically. RESTORO uses AVIRA scanning engine to detect existing spyware and malware. If any are found, the software will eliminate them. Read full review here.

Method 1. Enter Safe Mode with Networking

Before you try to remove JJWW Ransomware Virus virus, you must start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking. Below, we provide the easiest ways to boot PC in the said mode, but you can find additional ones in this in-depth tutorial on our website – How to Start Windows in Safe Mode. Also, if you prefer a video version of the tutorial, check our guide How to Start Windows in Safe Mode on Youtube. Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users Now, you can search for and remove JJWW Ransomware Virus files. It is very hard to identify files and registry keys that belong to the ransomware virus, Besides, malware creators tend to rename and change them repeatedly. Therefore, the easiest way to uninstall such type of a computer virus is to use a reliable security program such as INTEGO Antivirus. For virus damage repair, consider using RESTORO.

Method 2. Use System Restore

In order to use System Restore, you must have a system restore point, created either manually or automatically. Instructions for Windows XP/Vista/7 users Instructions for Windows 8/8.1/10/11 users After restoring the system, we recommend scanning the system with antivirus or anti-malware software. In most cases, there won’t be any malware remains, but it never hurts to double-check. In addition, we highly recommend checking ransomware prevention guidelines provided by our experts in order to protect your PC against similar viruses in the future.

Alternative software recommendations

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Removing spyware and malware is one step towards cybersecurity. To protect yourself against ever-evolving threats, we strongly recommend purchasing a Premium version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, which provides security based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Includes ransomware protection. See pricing options and protect yourself now.

System Mechanic Ultimate Defense If you’re looking for an all-in-one system maintenance suite that has 7 core components providing powerful real-time protection, on-demand malware removal, system optimization, data recovery, password manager, online privacy protection and secure driver wiping technology. Therefore, due to its wide-range of capabilities, System Mechanic Ultimate Defense deserves Geek’s Advice approval. Get it now for 50% off. You may also be interested in its full review.

Disclaimer. This site includes affiliate links. We may earn a small commission by recommending certain products, at no additional cost for you. We only choose quality software and services to recommend.

Decrypt JJWW files

Fix and open large JJWW files easily:

It is reported that STOP/DJVU ransomware versions encrypt only the beginning 150 KB of each file to ensure that the virus manages to affect all files on the system. In some cases, the malicious program might skip some files at all. That said, we recommend testing this method on several big (>1GB) files first.

STOP/DJVU decryption tool usage guide

STOP/DJVU ransomware versions are grouped into old and new variants. JJWW Ransomware Virus is considered the new STOP/DJVU variant, just like BPTO, ISWR, ISZA, BPSM, ZOUU, MBTF, ZNSM (find full list here). This means full data decryption is now possible only if you have been affected by offline encryption key. To decrypt your files, you will have to download Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP DJVU, a tool created and maintained by a genius security researcher Michael Gillespie. Note! Please do not spam the security researcher with questions whether he can recover your files encrypted with online key - it is not possible. In order to test the tool and see if it can decrypt JJWW files, follow the given tutorial.

Meanings of decryptor’s messages

The JJWW decryption tool might display several different messages after failed attempt to restore your files. You might receive one of the following messages: Error: Unable to decrypt file with ID: [example ID] This message typically means that there is no corresponding decryption key in the decryptor’s database. No key for New Variant online ID: [example ID]Notice: this ID appears to be an online ID, decryption is impossible This message informs that your files were encrypted with online key, meaning no one else has the same encryption/decryption key pair, therefore data recovery without paying the criminals is impossible. Result: No key for new variant offline ID: [example ID]This ID appears to be an offline ID. Decryption may be possible in the future. If you were informed that an offline key was used, but files could not be restored, it means that the offline decryption key isn’t available yet. However, receiving this message is extremely good news, meaning that it might be possible to restore your JJWW extension files in the future. It can take a few months until the decryption key gets found and uploaded to the decryptor. We recommend you to follow updates regarding the decryptable DJVU versions here. We strongly recommend backing up your encrypted data and waiting.

Victims of JJWW Ransomware Virus should report the Internet crime incident to the official government fraud and scam website according to their country:

In the United States, go to the On Guard Online website.In Australia, go to the SCAMwatch website.In Germany, go to the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik website.In Ireland, go to the An Garda Síochána website.In New Zealand, go to the Consumer Affairs Scams website.In the United Kingdom, go to the Action Fraud website.In Canada, go to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.In India, go to Indian National Cybercrime Reporting Portal.In France, go to the Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information.

If you can’t find an authority corresponding to your location on this list, we recommend using any search engine to look up “[your country name] report cyber crime”. This should lead you to the right authority website. We also recommend staying away from third-party crime report services that are often paid. It costs nothing to report Internet crime to official authorities. Another recommendation is to contact your country’s or region’s federal police or communications authority.