What is Seto Ransomware?
You do not want your files to be encrypted by any infection, but especially not Seto Ransomware, because you might be unable to get them back. Although files are not deleted or moved, their data is changed so that they could be read only with a special decryptor. According to Anti-Spyware-101.com analysts, a free decryptor has been released by malware researchers, but this tool cannot decrypt all files or any files if they were not encrypted with an offline key. Basically, even though a decryptor exists, we cannot know for sure whether or not you would be able to have them decrypted. That, of course, does not mean that you are completely screwed. If you have backups of your personal files stored outside the infected computer, you should be able to use them as replacements for the corrupted ones. Hopefully, that is the scenario you are in, but we suggest replacing files only after you remove Seto Ransomware. After all, this is malware that cybercriminals have created, and you want it gone ASAP.
How does Seto Ransomware work?
We have a pretty good idea of how Seto Ransomware works because it is a clone of such well-known threats as Kvag Ransomware, Domn Ransomware, Moka Ransomware, Nesa Ransomware, and many others. These infections belong to the so-called STOP Ransomware family, and there are hundreds of threats associated with it. Needless to say, we are familiar with this group of malware. In most cases, the attackers behind them use spam emails or vulnerabilities within remote access systems to drop and execute the malware. Seto Ransomware is meant to be executed silently, so that you would not know that you need to delete the infection or protect your files. Of course, even if you spot the threat quickly, you are unlikely to prevent it from encrypting your documents, music files, or photos. After encryption, all files should have the “.seto” extension appended to their names. If you are not familiar with file-encrypting ransomware, you might not understand what is going on when you try to open a file and it cannot be read. That is why a file named “_readme.txt” is created in %HOMEDRIVE%.
The ransom note represented by Seto Ransomware is identical to the ransom notes represented by the clones of this infection. Even the contact email addresses are the same, which means that we are dealing with the same attackers. The message suggests that you need to pay $980 (or $490) within 72 hours to obtain a decryption tool and a decryption key. The message includes links to a video that is meant to show you how the decryptor works. At the time of research, neither of the two links worked anymore. If you decide that you might be interested in paying the ransom, you have no other option but to email gorentos@bitmessage.ch or gerentoshelp@firemail.cc because you are not told via the ransom note how to pay the ransom. Is it risky to communicate with cybercriminals? It sure is. Is it risky to pay the ransom? Without a doubt, it is. Ultimately, cybercriminals care only about your money, and it is likely that they would forget about you completely once the money was collected. Of course, they might remember you in the future, and they might flood your inbox with misleading, phishing emails.
How to remove Seto Ransomware
Hopefully, you can use a free decryptor to restore at least some of your files or, better yet, you have backups to replace your files. In any case, even if you cannot restore or replace files, you must delete Seto Ransomware from your operating system quickly. As you can see, we have a manual removal guide prepared below, and you can follow these instructions to try and get rid of the infection yourself. What if you cannot handle this infection manually? In that case, it is best if you employ anti-malware software. It is built to remove infections automatically, and it can ensure that even hidden threats are erased. The best part is that this software can also ensure protection in the future, which is what you want if you do not want to face new threats again. Of course, even if your Windows system is guarded, you still want to create backups outside the computer because you want to be 100% sure that your files are always safe.
Removal Guide
- Delete recently downloaded files or Delete the launcher of the infection if you can identify it.
- Tap Win+E keys to access Explorer.
- Enter %LOCALAPPDATA% into the field at the top.
- Delete the [random name] folder that contains ransomware files.
- Enter %HOMEDRIVE% into the field at the top.
- Delete the file named _readme.txt.
- Empty Recycle Bin.
- Install a legitimate malware scanner to see if there is anything else that you need to remove.
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