What technique explains the addition of randomly generated data to passwords for secure storage?

Salting refers to the practice of adding a unique, randomly generated string of characters—known as a "salt"—to each password before it is processed by a hash function. This technique enhances password security in several crucial ways.

First, because the salt is unique for each password, even if two users choose the same password, the resulting hashes will be different due to the different salts, making it more challenging for attackers to use precomputed tables (like rainbow tables) to crack the passwords.

Furthermore, salting prevents the use of common password attacks. For instance, if a common password like "123456" is used by multiple users, without salt, the attacker can easily recognize that hashed value across different accounts. However, with salts in place, those hashed values appearing in the database will be unique, complicating the attacker's efforts significantly.

Salting does not encrypt or obscure the password directly; it merely prepares the password for a more secure hash process. Hence, salting is a foundational practice in protecting stored passwords, making it an essential concept in the realm of cybersecurity.