Category:File Format Identification

The purpose of File Format Identification is to determine the file format of a digital object.

Basically, there are 3 ways to identify a digital object.

Extension

The file extension is used, e.g. ".doc" if the file is named "example.doc". This tells us the file might be a Word document.

Content Header

The content header is used to determine the file type based on the mime-type. As an example, your browser identified this webpage to be a "text/html" file.

Signature

The file is scanned for certain bytes, just as one would scan text looking for a keyword. Academic and forensic file format identification software make use of signatures, also known as magic bytes. Each signature is assigned a unique identifier, such as a PUID.

Furthermore, all anti-virus software use signatures to detect viruses, next to using semantics.