OFAC sanctions file integrity and hashing

A sanctions data process should prove which official file it used and whether the bytes changed before processing.

By Business Compliance Tools6 minute readReviewed against official sources on

Use a supported official format

Record the exact OFAC file and schema. Related primary, address, alias and comment files may form one data series and should not be treated as interchangeable.

Verify and retain the digest

Calculate SHA-256 on the retrieved bytes and compare an official value where available. Keep the digest with the retrieval time and source URL.

Make the transformation reproducible

Record the parser version, accepted schema, rejection count, output digest and any manual intervention. Fail closed when the structure is not the supported one.

Material reviewed for this guide

This guide is general operational information, not legal advice. Check the official material and obtain appropriate advice for circumstances outside the stated scope.