Dictionary · Cybersecurity Fundamentals
Password Salt
Cryptography · Intermediate
A unique random value stored beside a password hash so identical passwords do not produce identical stored results and precomputed tables become far less useful.
The salt is not secret in the way the password is. It forces each password guess to be calculated for that specific account instead of looked up once for everyone.
Example: Two users choose the same password. Because each hash was computed with a different salt, the stored values do not match.
Common misconception
- A salt is not a second password, and it is not a substitute for a slow hash or for multi-factor login.