Remove SATO Ransomware Virus (+DECRYPT .sato Files)

Sato virus is a type of computer virus that injects your system, encrypts your files, and then asks to pay the money for file decryption. Besides these unpleasant actions, that malware also changes some important settings and can even disable your antivirus program.

Sato virus – what is it?

Sato virus can correctly be described as a STOP/Djvu malware family. That type of computer virus is aimed on individuals. This specification supposes that Sato does not bring any sort of additional malware, which sometimes helps malware of various other families to control your system. Since the majority people do not have anything valuable , there is no need to use other viruses that increases the risk of failure of the whole ransomware operation.

The usual signs of that ransomware activity is the emersion of .sato files in your folders, instead of the document you used to have. The photo.jpg turns into photo.jpg.sato, report.xlsx – into report.xlsx.sato and so on. You are not able to suspend this process, and can’t open these documents – they are encrypted with quite strong cipher.

You can also see different other signs of malware activity. Spontaneously disabled Microsoft Defender and inability to open the well-known anti-malware forums or websites, where the ransomware removal and file decryption guides are posted. You will see how it is conducted in the paragraph below. The removal and decryption guide are also available – check below how to delete Sato malware and get the .sato files back.

How did Sato ransomware encrypt my files?

After the malware injection, the Sato virus starts a connection with its command and control server. This server is controlled by virus maintainers – people who manage the distribution of this malware. Another activity which is conducted by these crooks is answering the email messages of sufferers, who want to decrypt their files.

The documents are ciphered with one of the strongest encryption algorithm – AES-256. The “256” digit in the name of this algorithms means the power of two – 2^256 for this case. 78-digit number of possible decryption keys variations – it is unreal to brute force it. As cipher analysts say, it will need more time than the Earth can estimate to exist, even in case if you use the most powerful computer system. In each folder that has the encrypted file(s), Sato virus creates the _readme.txt file with the following contents:

ATTENTION!

Don't worry, you can return all your files!

All your files like photos, databases, documents and other important are encrypted with strongest encryption and unique key.
The only method of recovering files is to purchase decrypt tool and unique key for you.
This software will decrypt all your encrypted files.

What guarantees you have?

You can send one of your encrypted file from your PC and we decrypt it for free.
But we can decrypt only 1 file for free. File must not contain valuable information.

You can get and look video overview decrypt tool:

https://we.tl/t-WJa63R98Ku

Price of private key and decrypt software is $980.
Discount 50% available if you contact us first 72 hours, that's price for you is $490.

Please note that you'll never restore your data without payment.

Check your e-mail "Spam" or "Junk" folder if you don't get answer more than 6 hours.

To get this software you need write on our e-mail:

support@fishmail.top

Reserve e-mail address to contact us:

datarestorehelp@airmail.cc

Your personal ID:
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

However, you can still run some of your files. The Sato ransomware encrypts only the initial 150 KB of each file, but the rest of this document can be opened. Primarily, it works best with audio/video files, which are surely bigger than 150 kilobytes. Not every media player is capable of open these files – WinAmp is the best option, since it is free and well-tested. First seconds of every song or video will be silent – this part is encrypted – but the rest of the file will be accessible like nothing happened.

Is Sato ransomware dangerous for my PC?

As it was described several paragraphs above, ransomware is not only about encrypting the files. Sato ransomware makes the changes in your computer in order to prevent searching the virus removal and file decryption guides. Sato virus does not create the software barrier – it just alters the system settings, primarily – networking and security configurations.

Among the networking settings, the most changed item is the HOSTS file. This text file has the DNS-address configurations, which are used by the web browsers while sending a request to the website server. If you add a specific DNS-address for the certain site, your browser will connect that page through that DNS next time. Ransomware modifies that file, adding the unknown DNS, so any of the web browsers will show you the “Unable to resolve the DNS-address” error.

Other alterations done by the ransomware are aimed at prevention of operative spotting of itself, and also disabling the installation of the majority of security tools. Sato malware implements some changes in Group Policies – the system setting interface which allows to modify the rights of each program. In such a way, the virus stops the Microsoft Defender and several other anti-malware programs, as well as blocks the launch of anti-malware installation files.

How did I get infected?

Throughout the whole term while STOP/Djvu family is active, it was using dubious applications as a primary method of ransomware injection. Under the term of dubious programs I mean apps that are already not controlled by the creator and spread through the third-party websites. These programs may be cracked, to make them usable without buying any license. Another example of such a program type is different hacking tools – cheat engines, keygens, Windows activation tools and so on.

This sort of applications may be spread in many ways – through the website that offers a downloading link, and also through the peering networks – ThePirateBay, eMule and so on. All these sources are well-known as the biggest computer piracy resources. Folks use these pages to get different programs or games for free, even if they must be purchased. Nobody can stop the users who crack these programs from adding viruses of some type to the files of the hacked tool. Hacktools, however, are created for outlaw targets, so their creators may easily insert the virus under the guise of some program part.

These cracked apps, regardless of their source, are one of the most often sources for various malware, and 100% the most popular one for Sato ransomware. It is better to avoid using of it, and not only because of virus installation risks. Avoiding the license buying is an illegal action, and both hackers and folks who use hacked programs fall under the charge of piracy.

How do I remove Sato virus?

The Sato malware is really hard to wipe out manually. Really, because of the number of changes it makes in your Windows, it is almost unreal to spot them all and repair. The best solution is to use antivirus software. But which one to choose?

You may see the offers to use Microsoft Defender, which is already in your system. But as it was mentioned earlier, most of STOP/Djvu ransomware examples block it even before the encryption process. Using the third-party tool is the only possible option – and I can recommend you the GridinSoft Anti-Malware as a solution for that case. It has impressive detection abilities, so the malware will not be missed. It is also capable of system recovery, that is heavily demanded after the Sato virus attack.

To remove Sato malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software.

After the ransomware removal, you can go to file decryption. Ransomware removal is required to prevent the repeating ciphering of your files: while Sato ransomware is active, it will not pass any unencrypted file.

How to decrypt the .sato files?

There are two ways to recover your files after a Sato virus attack. First one and the most obvious is file decryption. It is conducted with a special tool, designed by Emsisoft, and called Emsisoft Decryptor for STOP/Djvu. This program is free. Analysts update its decryption keys databases as often as possible, so you will definitely get your files back, sooner or later.

Another option to get your documents and photos back is to try to recover them from your disk drives. Since ransomware deletes them and substitutes with an encrypted copy, the residue of the documents are still kept on the disk. After the removal, the information about them is removed from the file system, but not from a disk. Special apps, like PhotoRec, are able to recover these files. It is free, too, and may also be used for file recovery in case when you have deleted a thing unintentionally.

Decrypting the .sato files with Emsisoft Decrypter for STOP/Djvu

Download and install Emsisoft Decrypter tool. Agree with its EULA and continue to the interface.

The interface of this program is extremely easy. All you have to do is to select the folder where the encrypted files are stored, and wait. If the program has the decryption key which corresponds to your ransomware case – it will decrypt it.

During the use of Emsisoft Decrypter for STOP/Djvu, you may observe various error messages. Don’t worry, that does not mean that you did something wrong or a program does not work properly. Each of these errors refer to a specific case. Here is the explanation:

Error: Unable to decrypt file with ID: [your ID]

The program does not have a corresponding key for your case. You need to wait for some time until the key database will be updated.

No key for new variant online ID: [your ID]

Notice: this ID appears to be an online ID, decryption is impossible.

This error means that your files are encrypted with an online key. In such a case, the decryption key is unique and stored on the remote server, controlled by crooks. Unfortunately, the decryption 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.

Ransomware uses the offline key to encrypt your files. This key is not unique, so you likely have it in common with another victim. Since offline keys must be collected, too, it is important to keep calm and wait until the analysts team finds one which will fit your case.

Remote name could not be resolved

This error indicates that the program has problems with DNS on your computer. That’s a clear sign of malicious alterations in your HOSTS file. Reset it using the official Microsoft guide.

Recovering the .sato files with PhotoRec tool

PhotoRec is an open-source tool, which is designed to recover the deleted or lost files from the disk drive. It checks each disk sector for the residues of deleted files, and then tries to recover them. That app is able to recover the files of more than 400 different extensions. Because of the described feature of ransomware encryption mechanism, it is possible to use this tool to get the original, unencrypted files back.

Download PhotoRec from the official website. It is absolutely free, however, its developer warns that he does not guarantee that this program will be 100% effective for file recovery purposes. Moreover, even paid apps can barely give you such a guarantee, because of the chain of random factors that can make the file recovery harder.

Unzip the downloaded archive to the folder you like. Don’t worry because of its name – TestDisk – this is the name of the utility developed by the same company. They decided to spread it together since PhotoRec and TestDisk are often used together. Among the unzipped files, search for qphotorec_win.exe file. Run this executable file.

Before you can start the recovery process, you need to specify several settings. In the drop-down list, choose the logic disk where the files were stored before the encryption.

Then, you need to specify the file formats you need to recover. It may be difficult to scroll all 400+ formats, luckily, they are sorted by alphabetical order.

Finally, name the folder you want to use as a container for recovered files. The program will likely dig out a lot of useless files, which were deleted intentionally, so desktop is a bad solution. The best option is to use the USB-drive.

After these easy manipulations, you may just press the “Search” button (it turns active if you specified all required parameters). The recovery process may take several hours, so keep patient. It is recommended not to use the computer during this term, since you may overwrite some files you are intending to recover.

Frequently Asked Questions