foremost ☆
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Description:
Console program to recover files based on their headers and footers
Type: Formula  |  Tracked Since: Dec 28, 2025
Links: Homepage  |  formulae.brew.sh
Category: System utilities
Tags: forensics recovery data-recovery cli utility
Install: brew install foremost
About:
Foremost is a forensic data recovery tool that works by identifying file types based on their unique header and footer signatures. It can recover lost files directly from disk images or individual drives, even if the file system is damaged or corrupted. This makes it an essential utility for digital forensics and data recovery specialists.
Key Features:
  • Supports a wide variety of file formats (images, documents, archives, etc.)
  • Works on raw disk images or physical drives
  • Configurable via a simple command-line interface
  • Ignores file system structure to recover data from corrupted media
Use Cases:
  • Recovering deleted files from a formatted drive
  • Extracting embedded media from document files
  • Digital forensics and incident response investigations
Alternatives:
  • scalpel – Similar functionality, often considered to have a more optimized configuration file format
  • photorec – A popular GUI-based alternative that also recovers lost partitions
Version History
Detected Version Rev Change Commit
Sep 13, 2025 4:46pm 1 VERSION_BUMP 1abb5e29
Sep 13, 2024 7:20am 1 VERSION_BUMP 6caed848
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