How to Salt a Password?

How to Salt a Password?

Salting a password is an essential practice in cybersecurity that adds an extra layer of security to password storage. When you salt a password, you randomly generate a unique string of characters (the salt) and combine it with the user's password before hashing it.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to salt a password:

1. Generate a random salt: Use a secure random generator to create a unique salt for each user.
2. Combine the salt with the password: Concatenate the salt with the user's password.
3. Hash the salted password: Use a strong hashing algorithm (such as SHA-256) to hash the salted password.
4. Store the salt and the hashed password: Save both the salt and the hashed password in your database.

By salting passwords, even if two users have the same password, their hashed passwords will be different due to the unique salts. This adds complexity and makes it harder for attackers to crack passwords using techniques like rainbow tables.

Remember, always use a strong and unique salt for each user to ensure maximum security.