MD5 Verifier - With the generated fingerprint by MD5 programs (md5sum) you can
easily control if a downloaded file is unchanged and complete.
If you download software from the Internet you must have this simple FREE program
or one that offers equivalent functionality. What does MD5 Verifier do? MD5 stands
for "Message-Digest algorithm 5". MD5 is a process that can be used to create an
"MD5 checksum" (also called a HASH). An "MD5 checksum" can be thought of as a
digital fingerprint. Like the fingerprint of a human hand an MD5 checksum can be
used as a unique form of identification and therefore verification.
Here is an example of what an MD5 checksum looks like shown here between
quotation marks "acfea89c1879aed74a987e850367ac25".
How does this help you?
Companies/people that distribute software online sometimes make MD5 checksums
available for the software they offer as downloads. Use MD5 Verifier to compare
the fingerprint (MD5 checksum) of the software you downloaded with the MD5 checksum
provided by the distributor. If the two MD5 checksums match you can be sure
the file you downloaded has not been damaged/corrupted. You will avoid
software installation errors/problems resulting from damaged installation files.
Using MD5 Verifier to check a file only takes a couple of seconds (dependant on
the speed of your computer).
MD5 checksums (HASH) can also serve as a means to verify a malicious
person has not purposely modified/tampered with the software you download. All
the software you download from the Internet is stored on specialized computers
called "servers". It is possible for the "server" to be compromised (broken into).
Files stored on the server could be easily modified to include a virus,
Trojan,
backdoor,
rootkit,
or other malware. Does this really happen? YES! However, the use of MD5 checksums
as a means to verify whether a file has been tampered with is somewhat outdated.
SHA (Secure Hash Algorithm) is probably a more useful checksum for security
purposes. Unfortunately you don't see SHA checksums provided by software
distributors very often.
Using MD5 Verifier is fast and easy. Nero provides a short, easy to follow
tutorial
on how to use MD5 Verifier.
Warning: All the software I suggest is popular and well tested. However,
any time you add a program/application or hardware device to your computer you run the
risk of a problem developing with your computer. Always back up important files on your
computer before installing any new program/application or device. You download
and install any new software at your risk.
If you have any comments on how I might improve this information please offer your
suggestions. Thanks, Tom Bowser
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