What is password salting in C++?

Can you explain what password salting is in C++?

Sure! Password salting is a technique used to enhance the security of stored passwords by adding a unique, random string (the salt) to each password before hashing.

Why is salting important for password security?

Salting is important because it prevents attackers from using precomputed hash tables (like rainbow tables) to crack passwords. Each password hash becomes unique, even if two users have the same password.

How do I implement password salting in C++?

You can implement password salting in C++ by generating a random salt for each password, concatenating it with the password, and then hashing the result using a secure hashing algorithm like SHA-256.

Can you provide a code example for that?

Certainly! Here's a simple example:

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <openssl/sha.h>
#include <random>

std::string generateSalt(int length) {
    const char charset[] = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789";
    std::string salt;
    std::default_random_engine generator;
    std::uniform_int_distribution<int> distribution(0, sizeof(charset) - 2);
    for (int i = 0; i < length; ++i) {
        salt += charset[distribution(generator)];
    }
    return salt;
}

std::string hashPassword(const std::string& password, const std::string& salt) {
    std::string saltedPassword = password + salt;
    unsigned char hash[SHA256_DIGEST_LENGTH];
    SHA256((unsigned char*)saltedPassword.c_str(), saltedPassword.size(), hash);
    return std::string((char*)hash, SHA256_DIGEST_LENGTH);
}

This code generates a random salt and hashes the password with it.