MD5 Last modified: Thursday, January 17, 2002
An algorithm created in 1991 by Professor Ronald Rivest that is used to create digital signatures. It is intended for use with 32 bit machines and is safer than the MD4 algorithm, which has been broken. MD5 is a one-way hash function, meaning that it takes a message and converts it into a fixed string of digits, also called a message digest. When using a one-way hash function, one can compare a calculated message digest against the message digest that is decrypted with a public key to verify that the message hasn't been tampered with. This comparison is called a "hashcheck."
•E-mail this definition to a colleague• For internet.com pages about MD5 . Also check out the following links! RFC 1321 Request for Comments document for the MD5 message-digest algorithm.	Electronic Commerce Encryption Security CHAP electronic commerce encryption UDDI Give Us Your Feedback Shopping md5 Products Compare Products,Prices and Stores Shop by Category: Routers 69 Model Matches Wireless Access Points 33 Model Matches Firewalls 232 Model Matches