The md5sum command is used to compute a 128-bit fingerprint that is strongly dependant upon the contents of the file to which it is applied. It can be used to compare against a previously-generated sum to determine whether the file has changed. It is commonly used to ensure the integrity of updated packages distributed by a vendor:

  # md5sum package-name
  995d4f40cda13eacd2beaf35c1c4d5c2 package-name

The string of numbers can then be compared against the MD5 checksum published by the packager. While it does not take into account the possibility that the same person that may have modified a package also may have modified the published checksum, it is especially useful for establishing a great deal of assurance in the integrity of a package before installing it.