Geek's Advice

HAJD ransomware maliciously encrypts all of files stored on computers

HAJD ransomware is an emergent but highly malicious file-encrypting virus that belongs to the STOP/DJVU ransomware family. Just like the variants before it, this ransomware is known to attack computers it infects by encrypting all files contained in them and also appending them with .hajd extension respectively. E.g. a file that was originally saved as 1.jpg would now become 1.jpg.hajd and so on. While this is still going on, ransom notes known as _readme.txt will also be dropped in all the folders. These files are notifications informing the victim about the ransomware attack and why they have to pay certain fees as ransom so they could receive HAJD decryption tool.

They will emphasize in the ransom notes that HAJD ransomware has successfully encrypted all the victim’s files contained in the compromised computer, including important documents, pictures and various other data.

The cybercriminals will also brag that since they made use of strong and unique encryption key in the process, the victim is left with no other choice than to comply with their demand. To facilitate further communication between them, the cybercriminals will also include two email addresses i.e. support@sysmail.ch and supportsys@airmail.cc. which they expect the victim to reply them with.

The note will further break down the decryption prices and the conditions of payment attached with them. They will state that paying without delay comes with benefit such as 50% discount. In other words, if the victim can pay the ransom fee within 72 hours/3 days of being notified, they would be required to pay half of the amount which is $490 but once the “grace period” elapses, they would be mandated to pay the full ransom fee of $980.

If peradventure the victim decides to reach out to them via any of the email they provided, they will make more demands like asking the victim to buy cryptocurrency that is worth the ransom fee and transfer same to a specific wallet address that would be provided by them. The discernable reason why they usually opt for such anonymous payment method is to ensure they won’t be tracked down and arrested by law enforcement agents that may be informed about it.

In order to convince the victim about their ability to restore the encrypted files, they may request for parts of the encrypted files be forwarded to them for test decryption but will be quick to warn that such part must not contain pieces of information they may perceive as important to the victim.

Regardless of the situation, our cybersecurity experts’ advice that victims should only follow FBI’s guidelines in such situation and it clearly states that ransom must not be paid. Many factors were considered before arriving at this conclusion and they include the following facts; paying ransom to cybercriminals does not guarantee the victim will recover their lost data, it will encourage criminality since the rogues will find it financially rewarding, it will put more funds in their hands thus enabling them to expand their operations and victimize more people, and lastly the law made it illegal to pay ransom.

Worse still, this virus is notorious for dropping certain types of Trojans like AZORULT and VIDAR that covertly pilfer sensitive information such as banking details, passwords, software account credentials, and cryptocurrency wallets etc. Such loss of sensitive data can result in further problems including blackmails and theft.

For those that are unfortunate to have been infected with this STOP/DJVU ransomware variant, you’re advised to remove HAJD ransomware virus as fast as possible. The best way to go about it is to set up your computer in Safe Mode with Networking before starting a good antivirus scan. On top of that, you may want to download this software – RESTORO for repairing virus damage on Windows OS files.

Ransomware Summary

REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE

Ransomware distribution methods explained

The most typical way through which computer users become infected with STOP/DJVU ransomware virus including HAJD virus is when they download software contents online malicious torrents. Cybercriminals often embed pirated software copies with malware therefore any attempt to make use of “cracks” or key generators among other such illegal software contents could result in severe virus infection and cyber-attack. Some of the victims over the years have reported about their experience and how their computers became infected after they downloaded of those illegal license activation tools and pirated software copies. Some of the common ones often uploaded to diverse malicious online torrents are listed below:

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

Computer users who often visit such dangerous platforms where pirated software contents are illegally shared are hereby advised to desist from doing so otherwise, they may end up as cyber-attack victims, thereby losing either their vital data or money as well as having their work disrupted. It should also be noted that such inappropriate download and use of copyrighted software is illegal and punishable by law. Instead of risking all that computer users should rather purchase such software copies legitimately through the websites of the original content creators or their authorized agents. Whatever fee they charge will always be little when compared to the insane ransom fees usually demanded by cybercriminals.

Ransomware is also distributed through malicious email attachments whereby the cybercriminals would create believable messages that would be accompanied by attachments crafted with formats like XLS, DOCX, and PDF. These particular files allow macro activities and JavaScript, which can be leveraged in uploading payloads and also triggering them in diverse end-user computers.

The major challenge faced by computer users is how to decipher which particular email coming into their inbox is genuine or a malware carrier sent by cybercriminals. The reason is because these rogues now impersonate others or even popular brands such as UPS, eBay, DHL, FedEx and Amazon to mention but a few. They also give the attachments enticing names like Tracking Details, Invoice or Order Summary all in their desperate attempts to deceive their target audience. However, we advise that people should always be careful and apply caution when going through their messages. If a particular email is odd or appears out of place then it should serve as a red flag and shouldn’t be opened.

Finally, those whose computers are already infected with any of the STOP/DJVU ransomware should avoid any website that claims to offer decryption solutions because they’re likely to be fraudsters. So far, only two brands namely Emsisoft and DiskTuna have proven capable of repairing STOP/DJVU damaged files. You should beware of others because many of them are known for spreading other ransomware versions like ZORAB and downloading their deceptive tools can lead to more problems.

More information about the infection

If you’re wondering about how your computer was affected or the extent of damage down to it during the HAJD ransomware attack, this section will be of help because it explains the technical aspect of the virus. The first thing the virus does during the attack is to launch build.exe or build2.exe as well as winupdate.exe. (i.e. the prompt that shows fake Windows update). Next would be to connect with https[:]//api.2ip.ua/geo.json before saving the outcome to geo.json file. The malware uses this method for gathering of all details concerning the computer’s geolocation, time zone, zip code, longitude and latitude. Shown in the image below are two samples of the geo.json file found in two infected computers.

Likewise, the compilation of installed software list, hardware details and other active processes will be stored in information.txt file as shown below. The virus sends it along victim’s computer’s desktop screenshot to its Command&Control server.

Going forward, the malware will profile the country code it extracted against a group of countries they designated as encryption-exempted, namely; Armenia, Belarus, Russian Federation, Syria, Tajikistan, Kazachstan, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Once it decipher that the computer is located in any of the aforementioned countries, it would instantly abort its mission. However, if it scales through i.e. not located in any of the countries, it would collect an online encryption key from the server and would combine it with the victim’s ID and send them to the bowsakkdestx.txt file. Another file named PersonalID.txt file is used for the ID safekeeping, as its name suggests. Shown below is an example of these files.

In situations where the malware couldn’t get online encryption key normally stored in their server, it will automatically resort to the use of hardcoded offline key as an alternative. The offline key will always be the same for all victims of a particular variant, unlike the online key that is unique to every victim. The presence of t1 characters appearing at the end of a personal ID is an indication of an offline key and it means there is a possibility of having the .hajd files decrypted one day. Please check below for more details on this.

The ransomware will now commence full data encryption by scanning all folders and encrypting them with Salsa20 before it will eventually make use of RSA-2048 key in securing the encryption. The virus also appends additional extension to each file. You can see an example of affected data folder in the screenshot provided below.

Below is a screenshot of _readme.txt ransom note that is usually left in all the folders.

In completing the entire process, the malware will blacklist a number of sites by adding them to Windows HOSTS file as well as to localhost IP thereby preempting any possible attempt by the victim to seek help from any of those websites. The error message DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN will appear any time the victim makes attempt.

Remove HAJD Ransomware Virus and Restore Lost Files

Computer users whose files were encrypted following a ransomware attack are advised to report the incident to relevant government authorities and also remove HAJD ransomware virus as quickly as possible. The reason is to limit the damages done to their computer and also to prevent further problems that may arise. The recommended way of doing this as earlier stated is to boot the infected system using Safe Mode with Networking option before running a strong and genuine antivirus on it. You should also consider downloading RESTORO if necessary for the purpose of repairing damaged OS files.

Now that HAJD ransomware virus removal is done, you can do the following:

• Report the cyber-attack incident to the appropriate government authorities responsible for handling such.
• Make use of data backup to restore lost files but ensure that no trace of virus is left before doing so.
• Consider possible ways of repairing files damaged by the STOP/DJVU ransomware variant.
• Now is time to change all passwords that were used on the compromised computer.
• Above all, always remember to be proactive in avoiding risk factors that could lead to a ransomware attack.

OUR GEEKS RECOMMEND

Our team recommends removing malware using a professional antivirus software and then using the following tool to repair virus damage to Windows system files:

REPAIR VIRUS DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER

DOWNLOAD RESTORO

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.

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Norbert Webb

Norbert Webb is the head of Geek’s Advice team. He is the chief editor of the website who controls the quality of content published. The man also loves reading cybersecurity news, testing new software and sharing his insights on them. Norbert says that following his passion for information technology was one of the best decisions he has ever made. “I don’t feel like working while I’m doing something I love.” However, the geek has other interests, such as snowboarding and traveling.