gchq/CyberChef · error · OperationError

Unknown checksum algorithm

Error message

Unknown checksum algorithm

What it means

CRCChecksum.run switches over a fixed catalogue of named CRC algorithms. Any algorithm name not present in the case list falls to the default and throws 'Unknown checksum algorithm', because no parameters are defined to compute it.

Source

Thrown at src/core/operations/CRCChecksum.mjs:1104

            case "CRC-32/NVME":              return this.crc(32n, input, 0x1EDC6F41n, 0xFFFFFFFFn, true,  true,  0xFFFFFFFFn);
            case "CRC-32/PKZIP":             return this.crc(32n, input, 0x04C11DB7n, 0xFFFFFFFFn, true,  true,  0xFFFFFFFFn);
            case "CRC-32/POSIX":             return this.crc(32n, input, 0x04C11DB7n, 0x00000000n, false, false, 0xFFFFFFFFn);
            case "CRC-32/Q":                 return this.crc(32n, input, 0x814141ABn, 0x00000000n, false, false, 0x00000000n);
            case "CRC-32/SATA":              return this.crc(32n, input, 0x04C11DB7n, 0x52325032n, false, false, 0x00000000n);
            case "CRC-32/V-42":              return this.crc(32n, input, 0x04C11DB7n, 0xFFFFFFFFn, true,  true,  0xFFFFFFFFn);
            case "CRC-32/XFER":              return this.crc(32n, input, 0x000000AFn, 0x00000000n, false, false, 0x00000000n);
            case "CRC-32/XZ":                return this.crc(32n, input, 0x04C11DB7n, 0xFFFFFFFFn, true,  true,  0xFFFFFFFFn);
            case "CRC-40/GSM":               return this.crc(40n, input, 0x0004820009n, 0x0000000000n, false, false, 0xFFFFFFFFFFn);
            case "CRC-64/ECMA-182":          return this.crc(64n, input, 0x42F0E1EBA9EA3693n, 0x0000000000000000n, false, false, 0x0000000000000000n);
            case "CRC-64/GO-ECMA":           return this.crc(64n, input, 0x42F0E1EBA9EA3693n, 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFn, true,  true,  0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFn);
            case "CRC-64/GO-ISO":            return this.crc(64n, input, 0x000000000000001Bn, 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFn, true,  true,  0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFn);
            case "CRC-64/MS":                return this.crc(64n, input, 0x259C84CBA6426349n, 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFn, true,  true,  0x0000000000000000n);
            case "CRC-64/NVME":              return this.crc(64n, input, 0xAD93D23594C93659n, 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFn, true,  true,  0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFn);
            case "CRC-64/REDIS":             return this.crc(64n, input, 0xAD93D23594C935A9n, 0x0000000000000000n, true,  true,  0x0000000000000000n);
            case "CRC-64/WE":                return this.crc(64n, input, 0x42F0E1EBA9EA3693n, 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFn, false, false, 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFn);
            case "CRC-64/XZ":                return this.crc(64n, input, 0x42F0E1EBA9EA3693n, 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFn, true,  true,  0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFn);
            case "CRC-82/DARC":              return this.crc(82n, input, 0x0308C0111011401440411n, 0x000000000000000000000n, true, true, 0x000000000000000000000n);
            default:                         throw new OperationError("Unknown checksum algorithm");
        }
    }

}

export default CRCChecksum;

View on GitHub (pinned to 4290ea7539)

Solutions

1. Use one of the documented CRC algorithm names from the catalogue.
2. For a parameter set not in the catalogue, use the custom CRC entry point instead.
3. Match the exact case and spelling of the case labels.

Example fix

// before
algorithm = 'CRC32'
// after
algorithm = 'CRC-32'

const KNOWN = new Set([/* enumerate case labels, e.g. */ 'CRC-32','CRC-32C','CRC-64/XZ']);
if (!KNOWN.has(algorithm)) throw new Error('Unknown CRC algorithm');

function isKnownCrc(name, knownSet) { return knownSet.has(name); }

try { crc.run(input, [algorithm]); }
catch (e) { if (/Unknown checksum algorithm/.test(e.message)) { /* offer custom CRC path */ } else throw e; }

When it happens

Trigger: Calling CRCChecksum.run with args[0] algorithm set to a string that does not match any case label (typo, custom name, case mismatch, or a name from a newer/older catalogue).

Common situations: User mistypes the algorithm name; recipe references an algorithm renamed/removed in a different version; localization changed the string.

Related errors

• Invalid custom CRC arguments
• Undefined encryption algorithm
• Character: ${elem} is not valid in radix ${radix}.
• Error: Radix argument must be between 2 and 36
• Error: Radix argument must be divisible by 2

AI-assisted analysis of gchq/CyberChef@4290ea7539 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/72a31dcffad696b8. Report an issue: GitHub.