What is Sato ransomware?
Sato is a recent strain of the STOP/Djvu ransomware virus. This type of computer viruses generates money by encrypting all data on the infected computer and demanding money for decryption.
In order to pay the hackers, the victim needs to know their contact information. This is why these viruses always leave a ransom note – typically a simple text file. In this case, this file is called “_readme.txt”. It can be read on the image above.
To summarize, the hackers demand $490 or $980 to decrypt the files. How much the victim has to pay depends on how quick they are; those that pay within the first three days get the lower price. In this manner, hackers hope to incentivize rash and thoughtless behavior from the victims.
It is worth noting that paying the hackers is seldom a good idea. More often than not, criminals who create ransomware programs don’t bother actually decrypting any files – they simply take the money and stop responding. Instead, consider learning about other ways to remove Sato ransomware and decrypt .sato files. The guide below is a good place to start.