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Ventura Publisher/GEM VDI Image Format Bitmap file (.img)

.img file signature | application/octet-stream

Reportedly a proprietary recording system, possibly aDigital Watchdog DW-TP-500G unit.

Safe

Magic Bytes

Offset 0
00 01 00 08 00 01 00 01 01

Sources: Gary Kessler

All Known Signatures

6 signature variants are documented for .img files across multiple sources.

Hex Signature Offset Sources
00 01 00 08 00 01 00 01 01 0 Gary Kessler
50 49 43 54 00 08 0 Gary Kessler
51 46 49 FB 0 Gary Kessler
53 43 4D 49 0 Gary Kessler
7E 74 2C 01 50 70 02 4D 52 01 00 00 00 08 00 00 00 01 00 00 31 00 00 00 31 00 00 00 43 01 FF 00 01 00 08 00 01 00 00 00 7E 74 2C 01 0 Gary Kessler
EB 3C 90 2A 0 Gary Kessler

Extension

.img

MIME Type

application/octet-stream

Byte Offset

0

Risk Level

Safe

Validation Code

How to validate .img files in Python

Python 
def is_img(file_path: str) -> bool:
    """Check if file is a valid IMG by magic bytes."""
    signature = bytes([0x00, 0x01, 0x00, 0x08, 0x00, 0x01, 0x00, 0x01, 0x01])
    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
        return f.read(9) == signature

How to validate .img files in Node.js

Node.js 
function isIMG(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
  const signature = Buffer.from([0x00, 0x01, 0x00, 0x08, 0x00, 0x01, 0x00, 0x01, 0x01]);
  return buffer.subarray(0, 9).equals(signature);
}

How to validate .img files in Go

Go 
func IsIMG(data []byte) bool {
    signature := []byte{0x00, 0x01, 0x00, 0x08, 0x00, 0x01, 0x00, 0x01, 0x01}
    if len(data) < 9 {
        return false
    }
    return bytes.Equal(data[:9], signature)
}

API Endpoint

GET /api/v1/img
curl https://filesignature.org/api/v1/img

See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .img file?

A .img file is a Ventura Publisher/GEM VDI Image Format Bitmap file file. Reportedly a proprietary recording system, possibly aDigital Watchdog DW-TP-500G unit.

What are the magic bytes for .img files?

The magic bytes for Ventura Publisher/GEM VDI Image Format Bitmap file files are 00 01 00 08 00 01 00 01 01 at byte offset 0. These bytes uniquely identify the file format regardless of the file extension.

How do I validate a .img file?

To validate a .img file, read the first bytes of the file and compare them against the known magic bytes (00 01 00 08 00 01 00 01 01) at offset 0. This is more reliable than checking the file extension alone, as extensions can be renamed.

What is the MIME type for .img files?

There is no officially registered MIME type for .img files. Systems typically use application/octet-stream as a generic fallback when handling this format.

Is it safe to open .img files?

Ventura Publisher/GEM VDI Image Format Bitmap file (.img) files are generally safe to open. They are classified as low risk because they primarily contain data rather than executable code. However, always ensure files come from a trusted source.