ALIAS
application/octet-stream
Magic Bytes
Offset: 0
62 6F 6F 6B 00 00 00 00 6D 61 72 6B 00 00 00 00
The ALIAS file format is a proprietary system shortcut developed by Apple Inc. for the macOS operating system. It provides persistent references to target files or directories, maintaining connectivity even if the original items are moved or renamed within the filesystem. While largely superseded by modern resource tracking systems in newer macOS versions, this binary format remains a safe, passive mechanism that contains no executable code or inherent security risks.
Validation Code
How to validate .alias files in Python
Python
def is_alias(file_path: str) -> bool:
"""Check if file is a valid ALIAS by magic bytes."""
signature = bytes([0x62, 0x6F, 0x6F, 0x6B, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x6D, 0x61, 0x72, 0x6B, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00])
with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
return f.read(16) == signatureHow to validate .alias files in Node.js
Node.js
function isALIAS(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
const signature = Buffer.from([0x62, 0x6F, 0x6F, 0x6B, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x6D, 0x61, 0x72, 0x6B, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00]);
return buffer.subarray(0, 16).equals(signature);
}
Go
func IsALIAS(data []byte) bool {
signature := []byte{0x62, 0x6F, 0x6F, 0x6B, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x6D, 0x61, 0x72, 0x6B, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00}
if len(data) < 16 {
return false
}
return bytes.Equal(data[:16], signature)
}API Endpoint
GET
/api/v1/alias
curl https://filesignature.org/api/v1/alias