# Binary Verification: Linux, Mac, or Windows Using CLI Tools (Advanced)
Verification of the Monero binary files should be done prior to extracting, installing, or using the Monero software. This is the only way to ensure that you are using the official Monero software. If you receive a fake Monero binary (eg. phishing, MITM, etc.), following this guide will protect you from being tricked into using it.
To protect the integrity of the binaries the Monero team provides a cryptographically signed list of all the [SHA256](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SHA-2) hashes. If your downloaded binary has been tampered with it will be produce a [different hash](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_verification) than the one in the file.
This is an advanced guide for Linux, Mac, or Windows operating systems and will make use of the command line. It will walk you through the process of installing the required software, importing the signing key, downloading the necessary files, and finally verifying that your binary is authentic.
On Windows or Mac, go to [binaryFate's GPG key](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/monero-project/monero/master/utils/gpg_keys/binaryfate.asc), which he uses to sign the Monero binaries, and save the page as `binaryfate.asc` to your home directory.
If the fingerprint **DOES NOT** match, **DO NOT CONTINUE.** Instead delete the file `binaryfate.asc` and go back to [section 2.1](#21-get-signing-key).
On Windows or Mac, go to the [hashes file on getmonero.org]({{ site.baseurl_root }}/downloads/hashes.txt) and save the page as `hashes.txt` to your home directory.
If your output shows **Good signature**, as in the example, then you may proceed.
If you see **BAD signature** in the output, **DO NOT CONTINUE.** Instead delete the file `hashes.txt` and go back to [section 3.1](#31-get-hash-file).
## 4. Download and Verify Binary
This section will cover downloading the Monero binary for your operating system, getting the `SHA256` hash of your download, and verifying that it is correct.
On Windows or Mac, go to [getmonero.org]({{ site.baseurl_root }}/downloads/) and download the correct file for your operating system. Save the file to your home directory. **Do not extract the files yet.**
The steps for both Linux and Mac are the same. From a terminal, get the `SHA256` hash of your downloaded Monero binary. As an example this guide will use the `Linux, 64bit` GUI binary. Substitute `monero-gui-linux-x64-v0.15.0.1.tar.bz2` with the name of the binary that you downloaded in [section 4.1](#41-get-monero-binary).
The output will look like this, but will be different for each binary file. Your `SHA256` hash should match the one listed in the `hashes.txt` file for your binary file.
From a terminal, get the `SHA256` hash of your downloaded Monero binary. As an example this guide will use the `Windows, 64bit` GUI binary. Substitute `monero-gui-win-x64-v0.15.0.1.zip` with the name of the binary that you downloaded in [section 4.1](#41-get-monero-binary).
The output will look like this, but will be different for each binary file. Your `SHA256` hash should match the one listed in the `hashes.txt` file for your binary file.
```
SHA256 hash of file monero-gui-win-x64-v0.12.0.0.zip:
4b 9f 31 68 6e ca ad 97 cd b1 75 e6 57 4b f3 07 f8 d1 c4 10 42 78 25 f4 30 4c 21 da 8a ac 18 64
