Security
security
passwords
cryptography
What is Salt (Cryptography)?
Definition
A salt is a random value added to a password before hashing. Each user gets a unique salt, so even if two users have the same password, their stored hashes are different. The salt is stored alongside the hash.
Why It Matters
Salting defeats rainbow table attacks and prevents attackers from identifying users with the same password. Without salts, an attacker with a precomputed table of hash-to-password mappings could crack millions of passwords instantly.