File Hash Checker
MAG212 CYBER · Tools
File hash checker.
Verify that a download — a Cisco IOS XE image, an ISO, an installer — is exactly what the vendor published. Calculate SHA-256, SHA-512 and more, and compare with the published value. The file never leaves your computer.
Check a file
🔒 Hashing uses your browser’s built-in Web Crypto API. The file is read locally and never uploaded. MD5 is not offered: it is broken for security purposes — use the SHA-512 or SHA-256 value most vendors (including Cisco) now publish.
Command-line equivalents
| Platform | Command |
|---|---|
| Windows PowerShell | Get-FileHash .\file.iso -Algorithm SHA256 |
| Windows Command Prompt | certutil -hashfile file.iso SHA256 |
| macOS | shasum -a 256 file.iso |
| Linux | sha256sum file.iso · sha512sum file.iso |
| Cisco IOS / IOS XE (on the device) | verify /md5 flash:<image>.bin — newer releases also offer SHA-512; check with verify ?. For signed images, also run show software authenticity file flash:<image>.bin. |
Why verify hashes?
- A hash is a fingerprint: change a single bit of the file and the hash changes completely.
- Matching the vendor’s published hash proves the file wasn’t corrupted in transfer or swapped by an attacker on a mirror, proxy or file share.
- Get the expected hash from the vendor’s own website over HTTPS — not from the same place you downloaded the file.
- Hashes show integrity, not trust. For software you install, also check the digital signature where the vendor provides one.
Need expert help?
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