VeriHash

VeriHash is a PowerShell 7+ tool for computing and verifying SHA256 file hashes.

🔁 PowerShell 7 is a modern, open-source, cross-platform edition of PowerShell. 🛟 It can be safely installed alongside the built-in Windows PowerShell without causing conflicts.

Note: PowerShell 7 (also known as PowerShell Core) is different from the older Windows PowerShell (version 5.1) that comes pre-installed with Windows 10/11.

Table of Contents

• Why PowerShell 7?
• Features
• Requirements
• Execution Policy (Optional)
• Installation
  • Clone the Repository
• Usage Examples
  • 1. Compute a SHA256 Hash for a File
  • 2. Verify Using a .sha2_256 File
  • 3. Compare Against an Input Hash
  • 4. Interactive File Selection
• Use Cases
• Speed
  • Tested Approximations
• Adding VeriHash to Your PowerShell Profile
  • On Windows 10/11
  • On macOS/Linux with PowerShell 7
• Contributing
• License

Why PowerShell 7?

• 🔁 Modern and Cross-Platform: PowerShell 7 runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, making VeriHash more widely usable.
• 🧑‍💻 Active Development: PowerShell 7 receives regular updates, performance improvements, and new features.
• 🛟 No Conflict with Windows PowerShell: Installing PowerShell 7 does not remove or break the existing Windows PowerShell. Both can coexist, allowing you to explore this tool without losing any native capabilities.
• 🤹🏼 Cross-Platform: Any platform PowerShell 7 is supported. Tested with Win 10/11, Debian 12, MacOS 12.

If you're new to PowerShell 7, here are some quick pointers:

1. Installation is Simple: On Windows, you can install PowerShell 7 from the Microsoft Store or download the installer from the official GitHub releases page. On macOS or Linux, you can follow the straightforward instructions provided in the PowerShell Documentation.

2. Running VeriHash with PowerShell 7: After installing PowerShell 7, open a PowerShell 7 console (often listed as pwsh on Windows). Navigate to the directory containing VeriHash.ps1 and run:

   .\VeriHash.ps1

   See also: [[# Adding VeriHash to Your PowerShell Profile]] for an easy way to just use it from anywhere like:

   verihash filename.ext

3. Secure: PowerShell 7 supports execution policies and script signing, just like the older Windows PowerShell. You remain in control of what scripts you run. VeriHash itself is a simple hashing tool with transparent source code, allowing you to inspect it before running if you like.

Features

• 🚀 FAST
• SHA256 Hashing: Compute SHA256 hashes for any file.
• Verification from .sha2_256: Verify files using automatically generated .sha2_256 files.
• Input Hash Comparison: Compare a computed hash against a provided input hash.
• Interactive File Selection (Windows): If no file is given, easily select one via a file dialog.

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Requirements

• PowerShell 7+ is required to run VeriHash.
• Works on Windows and non-Windows platforms. On non-Windows, you'll be prompted to enter a file path manually instead of using a dialog.

Execution Policy (Optional)

• On some Windows systems, you may need to allow running this script. In PowerShell 7, run:

  Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

This command allows locally created scripts like VeriHash to run without being blocked while still maintaining some security. You can always revert this by running Set-ExecutionPolicy Default.

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Installation

Install gh cli (fastest/easiest/most secure)

💡 gh CLI method

gh auth login
gh repo clone arcticpinecone/pwsh7-VeriHash VeriHash

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/arcticpinecone/pwsh7-VeriHash VeriHash

2. Navigate into the directory:

   cd VeriHash

3. Run VeriHash.ps1 in PowerShell:

   .\VeriHash.ps1

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Usage Examples

1. Compute a SHA256 Hash for a File

If you provide just a file path, VeriHash will compute and display its SHA256 hash. If the hash is SHA256 (the default), it also creates a .sha2_256 file in the same directory.

.\VeriHash.ps1 "C:\path\to\yourfile.exe"
.\VeriHash.ps1 "/mnt/c/path/to/yourfile.exe"

2. Verify Using a .sha2_256 File

If you run VeriHash on a .sha2_256 file:

.\VeriHash.ps1 "C:\path\to\yourfile.exe.sha2_256"
.\VeriHash.ps1 "/mnt/c/path/to/yourfile.exe.sha2_256"

It will verify that yourfile.exe matches the stored hash. If the referenced file isn't found or the hash doesn't match, you'll be notified.

3. Compare Against an Input Hash

Provide both the file and a known-good hash to verify. Use the -hash parameter!

.\VeriHash.ps1 "C:\path\to\yourfile.exe" -hash "ABC123456"
.\VeriHash.ps1 "/mnt/c/path/to/yourfile.exe" -hash "ABC123456"

VeriHash will display whether the computed hash matches the input hash.

4. Interactive File Selection

Just run:

.\VeriHash.ps1

If no path is given, on Windows you can select a file using a GUI dialog. On other systems, you'll be prompted to type provide the path.

Use Cases

• 🔬 Software Integrity Checks: Downloaded a new piece of software? Compute its SHA256 hash and compare it to the vendor-provided hash.

• 🔐 Automated Verification in CI/CD: Integrate VeriHash in your build pipeline to verify that build artifacts haven't been tampered with.

• 💾 Backup Integrity Checks: Generate .sha2_256 files for backups and run periodic checks to ensure no corruption over time.

Speed

Hashing speeds depend on your hardware.

• On SSDs, hashing can exceed 190 MB/second (~40 seconds for 8GB files).
• While HDDs may hash at ~93 MB/second (~88 seconds for 8GB files).
• Smaller files are processed almost instantly, while 10GB files may take ~1-2 minutes.

Tested Approximations

• SSD Speeds:
  5 seconds for 1GB, 40 seconds for 8GB, 53 seconds for 10GB.

• HDD Speeds:
  11 seconds for 1GB, 88 seconds for 8GB, 110 seconds for 10GB.

💡 Tip:

• For large files, feel free to grab a ☕, 🍵, or stretch your legs. 🤸
• For small files (<500MB), expect the process to complete almost instantly. ⚡

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Adding VeriHash to Your PowerShell Profile

You can add VeriHash to your PowerShell $PROFILE for quick and easy access from any directory. This example demonstrates how to create a custom function that wraps VeriHash.ps1 and accepts parameters.

On Windows 10/11

1. Find Your PowerShell Profile Path: Open PowerShell 7 and run:

   $PROFILE

   This will return the path to your PowerShell profile file, typically:

   C:\Users\<YourUsername>\Documents\PowerShell\Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1
   

2. Edit Your Profile: Open the profile file in a text editor (create it if it doesn’t exist):

   if (-not (Test-Path -Path $PROFILE)) {
       New-Item -ItemType File -Path $PROFILE -Force
   }
   notepad $PROFILE

3. Add a Custom verihash Function: Add the following function, updating the path to VeriHash.ps1:

   function verihash {
       param (
           [string]$FilePath,
           [string]$Hash
       )
       & "C:\Users\<YourUsername>\source\repos\VeriHash\VeriHash.ps1" $FilePath -hash $Hash
   }

4. Save and Reload Your Profile: Save the file and reload your profile:

   . $PROFILE

5. Usage: Now you can run verihash from anywhere:

   verihash -FilePath "C:\path\to\file" -Hash "ABC123..."

   Or simply:

   verihash "C:\path\to\file"

On macOS/Linux with PowerShell 7

For macOS/Linux, the steps are similar but paths differ. Use the following steps:

1. Find your profile path:

   $PROFILE

   Typical path: ~/.config/powershell/Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1

   The $PROFILE variable in PowerShell always points to the default path for the current user's profile file, whether or not the file (or its parent directories) actually exists. PowerShell assumes this file will eventually exist if the user decides to customize their environment.

2. Create the Directory (If Needed) If the parent directory doesn’t exist, create it:

   mkdir -p (Split-Path -Parent $PROFILE)

3. Edit or create your profile:

   if (-not (Test-Path -Path $PROFILE)) {
       New-Item -ItemType File -Path $PROFILE -Force
   }
   nano $PROFILE

4. Add the custom verihash function:

   function verihash {
       param (
           [string]$FilePath,
           [string]$Hash
       )
       & "/path/to/VeriHash.ps1" $FilePath -hash $Hash
   }

   e.g. /home/user/GitHub/VeriHash/VeriHash.ps1

5. Save and reload your profile:

   . $PROFILE

6. Use verihash as shown above.

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Contributing

Feel free to open issues, submit pull requests, or suggest enhancements.

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License

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License