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Invoice ###### 05/17/2017 from dontreply@random

Low
Published: Thu May 18 2017 (05/18/2017, 00:00:00 UTC)
Source: CIRCL
Vendor/Project: tlp
Product: white

Description

Invoice ###### 05/17/2017 from dontreply@random

AI-Powered Analysis

AILast updated: 07/02/2025, 16:40:26 UTC

Technical Analysis

The provided information describes a malware threat identified as ransomware, specifically linked to the 'Jaff' ransomware family. The threat is associated with a phishing email campaign using a subject line resembling an invoice notification ('Invoice ###### 05/17/2017 from dontreply@random'). This suggests a social engineering tactic where the attacker attempts to trick recipients into opening a malicious attachment or link, leading to the execution of the ransomware payload. Jaff ransomware is known to encrypt victims' files and demand a ransom payment for decryption. Although the exact infection vector and technical details are limited in this report, the association with a phishing email and ransomware classification indicates a typical attack pattern involving malicious email attachments or links. The threat level is indicated as low, with no known exploits in the wild at the time of reporting (May 2017). The absence of affected product versions and patch links suggests this is not a vulnerability in software but rather a malware campaign exploiting user behavior. The technical details are minimal, with a threat level of 3 (on an unspecified scale) and an analysis level of 1, indicating limited detailed analysis available. Overall, this threat represents a common ransomware distribution method via phishing emails, leveraging social engineering to compromise systems and encrypt data.

Potential Impact

For European organizations, the impact of the Jaff ransomware campaign can be significant despite the low severity rating in the report. Successful infections can lead to the encryption of critical business data, causing operational disruption, financial loss due to ransom payments or recovery costs, and potential reputational damage. The use of invoice-themed phishing emails targets finance and accounting departments, increasing the likelihood of successful compromise in organizations with high volumes of financial transactions. Additionally, encrypted data loss can affect compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR, potentially resulting in legal penalties. The low reported severity may reflect the threat's status at the time (2017) or limited spread, but ransomware remains a high-impact threat vector. European organizations with inadequate email filtering, user awareness training, or endpoint protection are particularly vulnerable. The lack of known exploits in the wild suggests this specific campaign might have been contained or limited, but the general ransomware threat remains relevant.

Mitigation Recommendations

To mitigate the risk posed by Jaff ransomware and similar phishing-based ransomware campaigns, European organizations should implement targeted measures beyond generic advice: 1) Deploy advanced email filtering solutions capable of detecting and quarantining phishing emails with invoice-related social engineering lures. 2) Conduct regular, role-specific security awareness training focusing on recognizing invoice and payment-related phishing attempts, emphasizing verification of sender authenticity and suspicious attachments. 3) Implement application whitelisting and endpoint protection platforms with behavioral analysis to detect and block ransomware execution. 4) Enforce strict access controls and network segmentation to limit ransomware propagation if a device is compromised. 5) Maintain frequent, tested backups of critical data, stored offline or in immutable storage, to enable recovery without ransom payment. 6) Monitor network traffic and endpoint logs for indicators of compromise related to ransomware activity. 7) Establish incident response plans specifically addressing ransomware scenarios, including communication protocols and legal considerations under GDPR. These focused steps address the attack vector (phishing emails with invoice themes) and the ransomware payload's impact.

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Technical Details

Threat Level
3
Analysis
1
Original Timestamp
1495107040

Threat ID: 682acdbdbbaf20d303f0ba64

Added to database: 5/19/2025, 6:20:45 AM

Last enriched: 7/2/2025, 4:40:26 PM

Last updated: 7/29/2025, 2:45:32 PM

Views: 10

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