Verifying release binaries
Every Certeasy release ships three platform binaries (Linux amd64, macOS arm64, Windows amd64) and a SHA256SUMS file:
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
SHA256SUMS | One SHA-256 hash per binary, one line each. |
SHA256SUMS covers integrity — it lets you detect a corrupted download or a tampered binary if the SHA256SUMS file you used was the one published on the official release page.
v0.9.x releases do not ship a GPG-signed SHA256SUMS.asc, and the Windows binary is not signed with Authenticode. A GPG signature on SHA256SUMS is planned for a later release (see the roadmap). Until then, treat the published SHA256SUMS as authoritative only insofar as you trust the channel you fetched it from (the official GitHub Releases page over HTTPS).
On Windows you will see this at first launch: with no Authenticode signature, SmartScreen displays "Windows protected your PC", and AppLocker blocks the binary outright unless a rule allows it. That prompt is expected — it is not a sign that your download was tampered with. Verify the hash below to confirm, then see Antivirus & EDR for how to clear the block.
Verifying a downloaded release
After downloading the three binaries and SHA256SUMS into the same directory:
sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS
Expected output:
certeasy-vX.Y.Z-linux-amd64: OK
certeasy-vX.Y.Z-darwin-arm64: OK
certeasy-vX.Y.Z-windows-amd64.exe: OK
If any line says FAILED, do not run the corresponding binary — re-download it from the official Releases page.
Windows users without sha256sum
On Windows, use the built-in certutil:
certutil -hashfile certeasy-vX.Y.Z-windows-amd64.exe SHA256
Compare the printed SHA-256 against the matching line in SHA256SUMS.
What goes wrong, and what to do
| Output | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
sha256sum: WARNING: 1 computed checksum did NOT match | One of the binaries was modified or truncated. | Re-download the failing binary from the official Releases page. |
sha256sum: no properly formatted SHA256 checksum lines found | You're checking the wrong file, or it was corrupted. | Re-download SHA256SUMS itself. |