The Sakura virus belongs under the Chaos ransomware family. A harmful program of this type encrypts all user’s data on the computer (photos, documents, excel tables, audio files, videos, etc) and appends its extra extension to every file, leaving the read_it.txt files in every folder containing encrypted files.
What is Sakura virus?
☝️ A scientifically accurate description for the Sakura is “a Chaos family ransomware-type malicious agent”.
Sakura will append its specific .Sakura extension to every file’s name. For example, a file named “photo.jpg” will be changed to “photo.jpg.Sakura”. Likewise, the Excel sheet named “table.xlsx” will end up as “table.xlsx.Sakura”, and so on.
In every directory containing the encrypted files, a read_it.txt text document will be created. It is a ransom money memo. Therein you can find information about the ways of paying the ransom and some other information. The ransom note usually contains instructions on how to purchase the decryption tool from the ransomware developers. That is how they do it.
Sakura abstract:
| Name | Sakura Virus |
| Ransomware family1 | Chaos ransomware |
| Extension | .Sakura |
| Ransomware note | read_it.txt |
| Detection | Trojan:Win32/RedLineStealer.LSA!MTB, Trojan:Win32/Corebot, Win32:Downloader-RPG [Trj] |
| Symptoms | Your files (photos, videos, documents) have a .Sakura extension and you can’t open them. |
| Fix Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Sakura virus |
In the image below, you can see what a directory with files encrypted by the Sakura looks like. Each filename has the “.Sakura” extension appended to it.
That is how encrypted “.Sakura” files look.
How did Sakura ransomware end up on my PC?
There are many possible ways of ransomware infiltration.
There are currently three most popular ways for hackers to have ransomware planted in your digital environment. These are email spam, Trojan injection and peer-to-peer networks.
If you open your inbox and see letters that look just like notifications from utility services companies, delivery agencies like FedEx, Internet providers, and whatnot, but whose “from” field is unknown to you, beware of opening those emails. They are very likely to have a malicious file enclosed in them. Therefore, it is even riskier to open any attachments that come with letters like these.
Another option for ransom hunters is a Trojan virus scheme2. A Trojan is a program that gets into your PC pretending to be something different. For example, you download an installer of some program you want or an update for some service. However, what is unboxed turns out to be a harmful program that corrupts your data. As the installation package can have any name and any icon, you have to make sure that you can trust the source of the files you’re downloading. The optimal way is to use the software companies’ official websites.
As for the peer-to-peer networks like torrent trackers or eMule, the threat is that they are even more trust-based than the rest of the Internet. You can never know what you download until you get it. Our suggestion is that you use trustworthy websites. Also, it is reasonable to scan the directory containing the downloaded objects with the anti-malware utility as soon as the downloading is complete.
How do I get rid of the Sakura virus?
It is crucial to note that besides encrypting your files, the Sakura virus will probably install the Azorult Spyware on your computer to get access to credentials to different accounts (including cryptocurrency wallets). That spyware3 can derive your credentials from your browser’s auto-filling data.
Sometimes criminals would decrypt few of your files to prove that they do have the decryption program. As Sakura virus is a relatively recent ransomware, anti-malware designers have not yet found a method to reverse its work. However, the decryption instruments are frequently updated, so the effective countermeasure may soon arrive.
Understandably, if the malefactors succeed in encrypting victim’s essential files, the hopeless person will most likely comply with their demands. However, paying to criminals does not necessarily mean that you’re getting your files back. It is still risky. After getting the money, the racketeers may deliver a wrong decryption code to the victim. There were reports of racketeers just disappearing after getting the ransom without even writing back.
The optimal countermeasure to ransomware is to have aan OS restore point or the copies of your essential files in the cloud storage or at least on an external storage. Obviously, that might be insufficient. The most crucial thing could be that file you were working upon when it all happened. Nevertheless, it is something. It is also reasonable to scan your drives with the anti-malware utility after the OS is rolled back.
Sakura is not the only ransomware of its kind, since there are other specimens of ransomware out there that act in the same manner. For instance, Ggwq, Llqq, Dkrf, and some others. The two basic differences between them and the Sakura are the ransom amount and the method of encryption. The rest is almost identical: documents become encrypted, their extensions altered, ransom notes are found in each folder containing encrypted files.
Some fortunate users were able to decrypt the arrested files with the help of the free tools provided by anti-malware experts. Sometimes the racketeers mistakenly send the decryption code to the victims in the ransom readme. Such an epic fail allows the user to restore the files. But of course, one should never expect such a chance. Remember, ransomware is a tamperers’ tool to lay their hands on the money of their victims.
How сan I avert ransomware infection?
Sakura ransomware has no superpower, neither does any similar malware.
You can protect yourself from its attack in several easy steps:
- Never open any letters from unknown mailboxes with unknown addresses, or with content that has likely no connection to something you are expecting (can you win in a money prize draw without even taking part in it?). If the email subject is likely something you are waiting for, scrutinize all elements of the dubious letter carefully. A hoax email will always have mistakes.
- Never use cracked or unknown programs. Trojan viruses are often shared as an element of cracked software, most likely as a “patch” which prevents the license check. Understandably, potentially dangerous programs are very hard to distinguish from reliable ones, because trojans may also have the functionality you seek. You can try to find information on this program on the anti-malware message boards, but the best way is not to use such software.
- And to be sure about the safety of the objects you downloaded, use GridinSoft Anti-Malware. This software will be a powerful shield for your personal computer.
Reasons why I would recommend GridinSoft4
There is no better way to recognize, remove and prevent ransomware than to use an anti-malware software from GridinSoft5.
Download Removal Tool.
You can download GridinSoft Anti-Malware by clicking the button below:
Run the setup file.
When setup file has finished downloading, double-click on the setup-antimalware-fix.exe file to install GridinSoft Anti-Malware on your computer.
An User Account Control asking you about to allow GridinSoft Anti-Malware to make changes to your device. So, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
Press “Install” button.
Once installed, Anti-Malware will automatically run.
Wait for the Anti-Malware scan to complete.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will automatically start scanning your PC for Sakura infections and other malicious programs. This process can take a 20-30 minutes, so I suggest you periodically check on the status of the scan process.
Click on “Clean Now”.
When the scan has completed, you will see the list of infections that GridinSoft Anti-Malware has detected. To remove them click on the “Clean Now” button in right corner.
FAQ
🤔 How can I open “.Sakura” files?Are the “.Sakura” files accessible?
Negative. That is why ransomware is so frustrating. Until you decode the “.Sakura” files you will not be able to access them.
🤔 I really need to decrypt those “.Sakura” files ASAP. How can I do that?
If the “.Sakura” files contain some really important information, then you probably have them backed up. Otherwise, you might try to employ System Restore. The only question is whether you have saved any Restore Points that would be helpful now. All other solutions require time.
🤔 Will GridinSoft Anti-Malware remove all the encrypted files alongside the Sakura virus?
Absolutely not! Unlike the ransomware program itself, the encrypted files do not jeopardize your system.
GridinSoft Anti-Malware will remove active malware from your system. The virus that has infiltrated your system is most likely still functional and it scans your system periodically to encode any new files you might create on your computer after the infection. As it has been mentioned above, the Sakura ransomware comes with the company. It installs backdoors and keyloggers that can take your account passwords by trespass and provide malefactors with easy access to your computer in the future.
🤔 What should I do if the Sakura malware has blocked my computer and I can’t get the activation key.
In such an unfortunate situation, you need to have a memory stick with a pre-installed Trojan Killer. Use Safe Mode to do the cleaning. You see, the ransomware starts automatically as the system boots and encrypts any new files created or imported into your PC. To suppress this function – use Safe Mode, which allows only the vital programs to run automatically. Consider reading our manual on booting Windows in Safe Mode.
🤔 And what should I do now?
Some of the encrypted files can be located elsewhere.
- If you sent or received your important files by email, you could still download them from your online mailbox.
- You might have shared photographs or videos with your friends or relatives. Simply ask them to give those images back to you.
- If you have initially got any of your files from the Internet, you can try doing it again.
- Your messengers, social networks pages, and cloud storage might have all those files too.
- Maybe you still have the needed files on your old computer, a notebook, phone, memory stick, etc.
USEFUL TIP: You can employ data recovery utilities6 to get your lost data back since ransomware encrypts the copies of your files, removing the authentic ones. In the tutorial below, you can learn how to recover your files with PhotoRec, but be advised: you won’t be able to do it before you eradicate the virus with an antivirus program.
Also, you can contact the following governmental fraud and scam sites to report this attack:
- In the United States: On Guard Online;
- In Canada: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre;
- In the United Kingdom: Action Fraud;
- In Australia: SCAMwatch;
- In New Zealand: Consumer Affairs Scams;
- In France: Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information;
- In Germany: Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik;
- In Ireland: An Garda Síochána;
To report the attack, you can contact local executive boards. For instance, if you live in USA, you can have a talk with FBI Local field office, IC3 or Secret Service.
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Brendan SmithHow to Remove SAKURA Ransomware & Recover PC
Name: SAKURA Virus
Description: SAKURA Virus is a ransomware-type infections. This virus encrypts important personal files (video, photos, documents). The encrypted files can be tracked by a specific .Sakura extension. So, you can't use them at all.
Operating System: Windows
Application Category: Virus
User Review
( votes)References
- My files are encrypted by ransomware, what should I do now?
- You can read more on Trojans, their use and types in the Trojan-dedicated section of GridinSoft official website.
- You can read more on spyware variants and nature in the respective section of GridinSoft official website.
- GridinSoft Anti-Malware Review from HowToFix site: https://howtofix.guide/gridinsoft-anti-malware/
- More information about GridinSoft products: https://gridinsoft.com/comparison
- Here’s the list of Top 10 Data Recovery Software Of 2023.
