How Salting Technique Creates Different Hashes for the Same Password

Understanding How Salting Technique Creates Different Hashes for the Same Password

One common technique used in password hashing is 'salting.' Salting involves adding a unique random value to each password before hashing it. This random value is called a salt.

When a user creates an account and sets a password, the system generates a random salt and combines it with the password. The salted password is then hashed. The hashed password, along with the salt, is stored in the system's database.

By using a different salt for each user, even if two users have the same password, the resulting hashes will be different due to the unique salts. This means that even if an attacker manages to crack one password, it cannot be used to compromise other accounts with the same password.

Salting enhances security by mitigating the risks of password attacks such as rainbow table attacks and brute-force attacks. It adds complexity to the hashing process, making it significantly harder for cybercriminals to reverse-engineer passwords.