file-by-hash
MalShare
A community-run public malware repository with millions of samples, offering hash search and sample download. Its straightforward API is keyed but free, self-serve registration grants 2,000 calls a day. A lower-barrier alternative to invite-only repositories when you need to check or retrieve a sample by hash.
Why it’s useful & how it works
MalShare is a community-run, never-for-profit repository that has been openly sharing malware samples since 2013. Its main appeal is low friction: anyone can register on the website, receive a free API key immediately and begin searching or downloading samples by MD5, SHA-1 or SHA-256. The daily API quota of 2,000 calls is generous enough for most individual research workflows, and there are no invite gates or approval queues. It is a practical open alternative when the larger services do not have a particular sample.
What’s inside
MalShare holds a large collection of malware samples built up over more than a decade of community contributions. The exact total is not published on the website, but the repository has grown continuously since 2013 and covers a broad range of malware families and file types.
API access
https://malshare.com/api.php?api_key= <KEY>&action=details&hash=<h>
An API key is required (usually free); see the endpoints above for where to get one.
What we measured
Our own probes, not the archive’s own claims. Re-run periodically; every reading below is dated.
Reachability
- Direct request
- Responded HTTP 200 227 ms
- Through a datacenter proxy
- Responded HTTP 200 782 ms
Reachability measured 2026-08-22.
Access
Programmatic API access (a key may be required, see the API tag).