Genuinity and integrity of iso downloaded

[Parashar]

hi could any one please explain me how to check the genuinity and integrity of any iso downloaded from unofficial source( i.e downloaded from genuine source viz technet etc and uploaded on any file hosting services).......i want to check that it is untouched non manipulated & free from malwares some says compare hashes or SHA1 what is this?

 

[Gator]

Basically, a hash is a long code that is unique to that file in its current state. When you download the file, you compare the hash with a utility like MD5 & SHA Checksum Utility - Free download and software reviews - CNET Download.com ::: If the hash matches, the file you downloaded was not tampered with. If anything is changed, the hash changes. This doesn't mean the ISO you got doesn't contain malware though, it just means the file is the same file you downloaded from that server. Typically, if its from a reputable source, the ISO is good and you can just compare the hash.

To check the validity of your ISO, you can use something like this: http://www.sevenforums.com/software/15544-windows-7-iso-verifier.html

Hope this helps.

 

[Parashar]

thanks for a good response.....so how to check if iso is tampered with spywares and malwares is there any method or software as same as verifying hash or something

 

[Gator]

thanks for a good response.....so how to check if iso is tampered with spywares and malwares is there any method or software as same as verifying hash or something

You can unzip the file with something like 7-Zip and then scan the files with something like Avast or your virus software of choice.

 

[MilesAhead]

Also you can verify the hash using my MD5Hash program. It's written in C++ and has both native 32 and 64 bit implementations in the download. It comes with a utility to add it to both File and Folder context menus.

It can queue up to a depth of 4095 files. Also you may run multiple instances(for example, launch a separate copy to do the hash for a multi-GB file.)

It is a bit quirky in that it has hybrid single instance/multi-instance behavior. An instance with a command line param will check for an already open master instance etc..

See the Readme.txt included.