Checkmate

Checkmate is a handy preference pane for MacOS X 10.1 and newer. It helps you create and compare secure MD5 checksums for important files. Why does this matter? Well, it’s a great way to check if any of your files have been messed with by things like viruses, root kits, trojan horses, or other nasty programs.

Easy Checksum Validation

You can run checksum validation anytime you want from the preference pane. But it gets even better! You can schedule it to run automatically—hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or every time you restart your computer. No need to remember; Checkmate's got your back!

Get Notified Instantly

If Checkmate finds any files that don’t match their stored checksums, it will let you know right away. You’ll see a popup dialog or even get an email alerting you about the changes. Pretty cool, right?

Add Your Own Files

The default list of files is already set for validation. But if you want to keep an eye on other files too? No problem! You can easily add or remove files from the list based on your needs.

Export and Store Checksums Safely

You can also export your file checksums to save them somewhere else—like on your iDisk. This way, if you ever need to check them again later, just load that saved file back into the preferences panel!

Your Suggestions Matter!

Keep in mind that the default files checked were chosen after looking at similar systems on UNIX-like platforms. If you think there are specific OSX files that should be included in this checkup process, please share your ideas!

Join the Community!

CheckMate is also part of some pretty neat download collections: MD5 Generator. So go ahead and check it out!