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gsjonio edited this page Jul 15, 2026 · 3 revisions

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hightower wiki

hightower is a Windows command-line tool that lists every running process and explains, in plain language, what each one is -- flagging the unknown or out-of-place ones. It is built for people who have no idea what all those names in Task Manager mean.

Main command:

hightower scan --all

Not a technical reader? Start with the beginner's guide in the repo (docs/GUIDE.md), not this wiki. The wiki is for contributors and the curious.

Project status

hightower is feature-complete: it lists every process, verifies signatures, looks each up against a known-process database, assigns a risk verdict, and can explain any single process or export the whole scan as JSON.

Milestone What it adds State
v0.1.0 Workspace, CI, docs ✅ released
v0.2.0 scan --all process listing ✅ released
v0.3.0 Known-Windows-process database ✅ released
v0.4.0 Risk heuristics (masquerading, unsigned, unknown) ✅ released
v0.5.0 explain <name|pid>, scan --json ✅ released
v1.0.0 Docs finalised, first stable release ✅ released

Pages

  • Architecture -- the hexagonal, three-crate design and why the compiler (not code review) enforces the boundaries.
  • Risk Heuristics -- how hightower will decide whether a process looks trustworthy, and the limits of that (it is not an antivirus).
  • Known-Process Database Format -- the JSON shape of a known process, and how to propose new entries.
  • Contributing -- how to build, test, and open a PR.
  • FAQ -- plain-language answers to common questions.
  • Rust for Pythonistas -- a study page mapping Rust's ownership, traits, Result, and cargo onto what a Python dev already knows.

Links

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