diff --git a/monai/apps/utils.py b/monai/apps/utils.py
index 856bc64c9e..5758c703fb 100644
--- a/monai/apps/utils.py
+++ b/monai/apps/utils.py
@@ -42,12 +42,31 @@
 else:
     tqdm, has_tqdm = optional_import("tqdm", "4.47.0", min_version, "tqdm")
 
-__all__ = ["check_hash", "download_url", "extractall", "download_and_extract", "get_logger", "SUPPORTED_HASH_TYPES"]
+__all__ = [
+    "check_hash",
+    "download_url",
+    "extractall",
+    "download_and_extract",
+    "get_logger",
+    "SUPPORTED_HASH_TYPES",
+    "HashValidationError",
+]
 
 DEFAULT_FMT = "%(asctime)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s"
 SUPPORTED_HASH_TYPES = {"md5": hashlib.md5, "sha1": hashlib.sha1, "sha256": hashlib.sha256, "sha512": hashlib.sha512}
 
 
+class HashValidationError(RuntimeError):
+    """
+    Raised when a downloaded or existing file does not match its expected hash value.
+
+    This is a dedicated subclass of :class:`RuntimeError` (so existing ``except RuntimeError``
+    handlers keep working) that specifically signals data corruption or a content mismatch,
+    as opposed to a transient/incomplete download. It lets callers distinguish a genuine hash
+    failure from recoverable network errors and avoid silently skipping it.
+    """
+
+
 def get_logger(
     module_name: str = "monai.apps",
     fmt: str = DEFAULT_FMT,
@@ -213,14 +232,14 @@ def download_url(
             https://github.com/wkentaro/gdown/blob/main/gdown/download.py
 
     Raises:
-        RuntimeError: When the hash validation of the ``filepath`` existing file fails.
+        HashValidationError: When the hash validation of the ``filepath`` existing file fails.
         RuntimeError: When a network issue or denied permission prevents the
             file download from ``url`` to ``filepath``.
         URLError: See urllib.request.urlretrieve.
         HTTPError: See urllib.request.urlretrieve.
         ContentTooShortError: See urllib.request.urlretrieve.
         IOError: See urllib.request.urlretrieve.
-        RuntimeError: When the hash validation of the ``url`` downloaded file fails.
+        HashValidationError: When the hash validation of the ``url`` downloaded file fails.
 
     """
     if not filepath:
@@ -229,7 +248,7 @@ def download_url(
     filepath = Path(filepath)
     if filepath.exists():
         if not check_hash(filepath, hash_val, hash_type):
-            raise RuntimeError(
+            raise HashValidationError(
                 f"{hash_type} check of existing file failed: filepath={filepath}, expected {hash_type}={hash_val}."
             )
         logger.info(f"File exists: {filepath}, skipped downloading.")
@@ -268,7 +287,7 @@ def download_url(
         pass
     logger.info(f"Downloaded: {filepath}")
     if not check_hash(filepath, hash_val, hash_type):
-        raise RuntimeError(
+        raise HashValidationError(
             f"{hash_type} check of downloaded file failed: URL={url}, "
             f"filepath={filepath}, expected {hash_type}={hash_val}."
         )
@@ -325,7 +344,7 @@ def extractall(
             be False.
 
     Raises:
-        RuntimeError: When the hash validation of the ``filepath`` compressed file fails.
+        HashValidationError: When the hash validation of the ``filepath`` compressed file fails.
         NotImplementedError: When the ``filepath`` file extension is not one of [zip", "tar.gz", "tar"].
 
     """
@@ -339,7 +358,7 @@ def extractall(
         return
     filepath = Path(filepath)
     if hash_val and not check_hash(filepath, hash_val, hash_type):
-        raise RuntimeError(
+        raise HashValidationError(
             f"{hash_type} check of compressed file failed: " f"filepath={filepath}, expected {hash_type}={hash_val}."
         )
     logger.info(f"Writing into directory: {output_dir}.")
diff --git a/tests/apps/test_download_and_extract.py b/tests/apps/test_download_and_extract.py
index 6d16a72735..e39e8e166e 100644
--- a/tests/apps/test_download_and_extract.py
+++ b/tests/apps/test_download_and_extract.py
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 from parameterized import parameterized
 
 from monai.apps import download_and_extract, download_url, extractall
+from monai.apps.utils import HashValidationError
 from tests.test_utils import SkipIfNoModule, skip_if_downloading_fails, skip_if_quick, testing_data_config
 
 
@@ -68,6 +69,36 @@ def test_default(self, key, file_type):
                 )
 
 
+class TestHashValidationError(unittest.TestCase):
+    """A hash mismatch must raise the dedicated HashValidationError (offline, no network)."""
+
+    def test_existing_file_wrong_hash_raises(self):
+        with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmp_dir:
+            filepath = Path(tmp_dir) / "data.bin"
+            filepath.write_bytes(b"monai")
+            # existing-file branch of download_url validates the on-disk file against hash_val.
+            with self.assertRaises(HashValidationError):
+                download_url("https://example.com/data.bin", filepath, hash_val="0" * 32, hash_type="md5")
+
+    def test_extractall_wrong_hash_raises(self):
+        with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmp_dir:
+            zip_path = Path(tmp_dir) / "archive.zip"
+            with zipfile.ZipFile(zip_path, "w") as zf:
+                zf.writestr("a.txt", "content")
+            with self.assertRaises(HashValidationError):
+                extractall(str(zip_path), str(Path(tmp_dir) / "out"), hash_val="0" * 32, hash_type="md5")
+
+    def test_hash_error_is_runtime_error_subclass(self):
+        # backward compatibility: existing ``except RuntimeError`` handlers keep catching it.
+        self.assertTrue(issubclass(HashValidationError, RuntimeError))
+
+    def test_skip_if_downloading_fails_does_not_suppress(self):
+        # a genuine hash mismatch must propagate, not be turned into a skipped test.
+        with self.assertRaises(HashValidationError):
+            with skip_if_downloading_fails():
+                raise HashValidationError("md5 check of downloaded file failed: ...")
+
+
 class TestPathTraversalProtection(unittest.TestCase):
     """Test cases for path traversal attack protection in extractall function."""
 
diff --git a/tests/test_utils.py b/tests/test_utils.py
index 5e21e48068..0e50f71157 100644
--- a/tests/test_utils.py
+++ b/tests/test_utils.py
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
 import torch
 import torch.distributed as dist
 
-from monai.apps.utils import download_url
+from monai.apps.utils import HashValidationError, download_url
 from monai.config import NdarrayTensor
 from monai.config.deviceconfig import USE_COMPILED
 from monai.config.type_definitions import NdarrayOrTensor
@@ -81,7 +81,6 @@
     "unexpected EOF",  # incomplete download
     "network issue",
     "gdown dependency",  # gdown not installed
-    "md5 check",
     "limit",  # HTTP Error 503: Egress is over the account limit
     "authenticate",
     "timed out",  # urlopen error [Errno 110] Connection timed out
@@ -169,10 +168,16 @@ def assert_allclose(
 def skip_if_downloading_fails():
     """
     Skips a test if downloading something raises an exception recognised to indicate a download has failed.
+
+    A :class:`~monai.apps.utils.HashValidationError` is deliberately *not* treated as a recoverable
+    download failure: it indicates the downloaded content does not match its expected hash (data
+    corruption or a content mismatch), so it is re-raised instead of skipping the test.
     """
 
     try:
         yield
+    except HashValidationError:
+        raise  # genuine hash mismatch, surface it rather than silently skipping
     except DOWNLOAD_EXCEPTS as e:
         raise unittest.SkipTest(f"Error while downloading: {e}") from e
     except ssl.SSLError as ssl_e: