SHA-256 Hash for File Integrity Verification
Quick Answer: SHA-256 is the standard for file integrity verification. Generate a hash of your file and compare it to the published checksum. If the hashes match, the file is identical to the original and has not been corrupted or tampered with.
FAQ
How do I verify a file checksum?
Generate the SHA-256 hash of your downloaded file and compare it character-by-character with the hash published by the source. Any difference means the file has been modified.
Why SHA-256 and not MD5 for file verification?
MD5 has known collision attacks -- two different files can produce the same MD5 hash. SHA-256 has no known practical collisions and is the current standard.