Blind Rename Files

Obfuscate filenames for unbiased analysis — macOS App & Bash Scripts

DOI GitHub

A macOS app and Bash scripts to blind-rename files in a folder for unbiased analysis. Original filenames are saved in a dictionary so they can be restored at any time.

What it does

Each file in a folder is renamed to a 20-character uppercase hash derived from its original filename. A name_dictionary.csv mapping is saved alongside the files. Running the revert restores all original names and archives the dictionary.

Files created in the folder:

File Purpose
name_dictionary.csv Maps original names to obfuscated names
Analysis_file.csv List of obfuscated names only, for use during blind analysis
name_dictionary_DEPRECATED.csv Renamed from dictionary after a successful revert

Subfolders are never touched.

macOS App

BashBlindRename App

Download BashBlindRename.app from the releases page.

Note

Requires macOS 12 or later. No installation — double-click and run.

  1. Open the app.
  2. Drag and drop your folder onto the drop zone.
  3. Click Blind Rename to obfuscate filenames.
  4. Click Revert Rename to restore original names.

Bash Scripts

Requirements

  • Bash (macOS or Linux)
  • shasum — pre-installed on macOS and most Linux systems

Setup

chmod +x bash_blind_rename.sh revert_rename.sh

Blind rename a folder

./bash_blind_rename.sh path/to/folder

Revert to original names

./revert_rename.sh path/to/folder

Example

Starting folder:

temp/
  foo_1.txt
  foo_2.txt
  foo_3.txt
  subfolder/
    bar_1.txt

After ./bash_blind_rename.sh temp/:

temp/
  007937B3F4F4D9F58B7D.txt
  3C27A89C60DE090DE1F6.txt
  760A83AE04023DD099FC.txt
  name_dictionary.csv
  Analysis_file.csv
  subfolder/
    bar_1.txt

subfolder/ and its contents are untouched.

name_dictionary.csv:

Oldname,Newname
foo_1.txt,007937B3F4F4D9F58B7D.txt
foo_2.txt,3C27A89C60DE090DE1F6.txt
foo_3.txt,760A83AE04023DD099FC.txt

After ./revert_rename.sh temp/:

temp/
  foo_1.txt
  foo_2.txt
  foo_3.txt
  name_dictionary_DEPRECATED.csv
  subfolder/
    bar_1.txt

Safety rules

Warning
  • Will not run if name_dictionary.csv or Analysis_file.csv already exist in the folder.
  • Will not run if name_dictionary_DEPRECATED.csv exists — delete it first to re-run.
  • Does not run as root/superuser.
  • Does not recurse into subfolders.

License

See LICENSE.