Open Source & Transparency
CrystalDiskInfo is open-source software. This means the source code is publicly available for anyone to inspect, audit, and verify. You can see exactly what the software does and confirm it does not contain any malicious code or hidden tracking.
GitHub Repository: hiyohiyo/CrystalDiskInfo
Digital Signature Verification
All official CrystalDiskInfo binaries are digitally signed by the developer, Noriyuki Miyazaki (hiyohiyo). This ensures the software has not been tampered with since it was published. Always verify the digital signature before running any downloaded executable.
How to Verify
Right-click the downloaded file, select Properties, and go to the Digital Signatures tab. You should see a valid signature from "Noriyuki Miyazaki".
Antivirus & False Positives
Because CrystalDiskInfo accesses low-level hardware information to read S.M.A.R.T. data, some antivirus programs may flag it as a "potentially unwanted program" (PUP). This is a known false positive. The software does not write to your drives or modify any data; it only reads diagnostic information.
If your antivirus flags CrystalDiskInfo, verify the digital signature first. If the signature is valid, you can safely add an exception for the software.
Privacy & Data Collection
CrystalDiskInfo does not collect any personal data. It does not connect to external servers or send your drive information anywhere. All data is processed locally on your machine. The email alert feature only uses the SMTP server you configure to send notifications directly from your computer.
Software Integrity
CrystalDiskInfo has been actively maintained since 2005 and is used by millions of users worldwide. It is recommended by major tech publications and hardware manufacturers as a reliable tool for drive health monitoring.