MD5 is a hash code that appears when users have to download large files. However, many people still lack a comprehensive understanding of the MD5 algorithm. In this article, Mytour will provide you with some information to help you understand more about this encoding.
1. Explain what MD5 is
MD5 (Message-Digest algorithm 5) is an encryption algorithm, according to the RFC 1321 standard. Programs that encrypt using MD5 are commonly referred to as MD5Sum. MD5 has a 128-bit value from the input data. Ronald Rivest designed MD5 in 1991 to replace the previous hash function, MD4. In 1996, a vulnerability was discovered in MD5; while it was not known whether it was a serious error, encryption experts began to suggest using other algorithms, such as SHA-1. This involves compressing large files before encrypting them with a secret code, according to a public key cryptography system.
You can simply understand MD5 as an encoding to check the accuracy and integrity of a file during the process of transmitting information on the Internet or copying data somewhere. Each file will have an MD5 code. Authors upload the MD5 of the file to avoid cases where downloading from elsewhere may be accompanied by small harmful programs such as trojans, keyloggers…
2. How to Use MD5 Hash?
To download a file from the server, for example: Mytour.tar. Before downloading, you need to generate the MD5 hash for this file on the server. To do this, use the following command:
When you enter the command md5sum Mytour.tar
, a notification will appear:e4d909c290d0fb1ca068ffaddf22cbd0
This is the MD5 hash of the file Mytour.tar. After downloading the file from the CocCoc browser to your computer, you can verify the integrity of the file by re-creating the MD5 hash for the downloaded files.
If the two hashes match, it means the file you downloaded is accurate. If they do not match, it means the file has been corrupted during the download process. To check the MD5 code, you can download the MD5 Checker and follow the instructions.