How does salting improve password security?

What is salting in the context of password security?

Salting is the process of adding a random value, called a salt, to a password before hashing it. This makes each password hash unique.

Why is salting important for password security?

Salting helps protect against rainbow table attacks, where attackers use precomputed hashes to crack passwords. It ensures that even if two users have the same password, their hashes will be different.

How does salting compare to just hashing passwords?

Hashing alone can be vulnerable if the same password is used by multiple users. Salting adds an extra layer of security by ensuring unique hashes, making it much harder for attackers.

Can you give an example of how salting works?

Sure! If the password is 'password123' and the salt is 'xyz', the final input to the hash function would be 'password123xyz'. This unique combination is then hashed.