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Thunderbird|Mozilla Mail Summary File (.msf)

.msf file signature | application/octet-stream

Safe

Magic Bytes

Offset: 0
2F 2F 20 3C 21 2D 2D 20 3C 6D 64 62 3A 6D 6F 72 6B 3A 7A

Thunderbird|Mozilla Mail Summary File

Sources: Gary Kessler

Validation Code

How to validate .msf files in Python

Python
def is_msf(file_path: str) -> bool:
    """Check if file is a valid MSF by magic bytes."""
    signature = bytes([0x2F, 0x2F, 0x20, 0x3C, 0x21, 0x2D, 0x2D, 0x20, 0x3C, 0x6D, 0x64, 0x62, 0x3A, 0x6D, 0x6F, 0x72, 0x6B, 0x3A, 0x7A])
    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
        return f.read(19) == signature

How to validate .msf files in Node.js

Node.js
function isMSF(buffer: Buffer): boolean {
  const signature = Buffer.from([0x2F, 0x2F, 0x20, 0x3C, 0x21, 0x2D, 0x2D, 0x20, 0x3C, 0x6D, 0x64, 0x62, 0x3A, 0x6D, 0x6F, 0x72, 0x6B, 0x3A, 0x7A]);
  return buffer.subarray(0, 19).equals(signature);
}

How to validate .msf files in Go

Go
func IsMSF(data []byte) bool {
    signature := []byte{0x2F, 0x2F, 0x20, 0x3C, 0x21, 0x2D, 0x2D, 0x20, 0x3C, 0x6D, 0x64, 0x62, 0x3A, 0x6D, 0x6F, 0x72, 0x6B, 0x3A, 0x7A}
    if len(data) < 19 {
        return false
    }
    return bytes.Equal(data[:19], signature)
}

API Endpoint

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

See the full API documentation for all endpoints and parameters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .msf file?

A .msf file is a Thunderbird|Mozilla Mail Summary File file. Thunderbird|Mozilla Mail Summary File

What are the magic bytes for .msf files?

The magic bytes for Thunderbird|Mozilla Mail Summary File files are 2F 2F 20 3C 21 2D 2D 20 3C 6D 64 62 3A 6D 6F 72 6B 3A 7A at byte offset 0. These bytes uniquely identify the file format regardless of the file extension.

How do I validate a .msf file?

To validate a .msf file, read the first bytes of the file and compare them against the known magic bytes (2F 2F 20 3C 21 2D 2D 20 3C 6D 64 62 3A 6D 6F 72 6B 3A 7A) at offset 0. This is more reliable than checking the file extension alone, as extensions can be renamed.

What is the MIME type for .msf files?

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

Is it safe to open .msf files?

Thunderbird|Mozilla Mail Summary File (.msf) 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.