Jigsaw ransomware group
Jigsaw is one of the extortion operations we watch continuously. This page covers what is known about the group and the current state of its leak site.
Who they are
Jigsaw is a ransomware family first observed in April 2016, notorious for its psychological intimidation tactics. It encrypts files using AES encryption and appends various extensions (e.g., .fun, .kkk, .btc) depending on the variant. The ransomware’s ransom note features imagery of the “Billy” puppet from the Saw movie franchise and displays a countdown timer. Jigsaw is unique in that it deletes a portion of the victim’s files every hour until the ransom is paid, escalating the number of deletions over time to increase pressure. The note typically instructs victims to pay in Bitcoin via email communication. The malware is written in .NET, and numerous versions have circulated since its emergence, many of which are decryptable due to coding flaws. Jigsaw has mainly been spread via malicious email attachments and exploit kits. While it had a period of high activity in 2016–2017, most modern antivirus tools can easily detect and block it.
Current status
Jigsaw's leak site is not answering. Sites go dark for infrastructure trouble, a deliberate quiet period, or a takedown, and a good number return weeks later under the same name, so the entry stays on the list either way.
Which organisations this group has named, and when, is part of the SINON platform rather than this page. Create an account to search it, or to be told automatically if a name you care about turns up.
Sectors targeted
This group does not state an industry on its site, so we have nothing reliable to report. Most crews are opportunistic rather than sector-specific in any case — they hit what they can reach.
Watching for your name
If Jigsaw posts your company, a supplier or a subsidiary, you want to hear it from us rather than from a journalist. SINON checks these sites continuously and alerts on the names you give it.
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