Answer :
Using passwords with salts increases account security by necessitating that each password must be cracked individually due to the addition of a unique random salt, which creates a distinct hash even for identical passwords.
Yes, using passwords with salts does indeed make attacking a single account more difficult compared to using passwords without salts. Salting is akin to adding an extra unforeseen ingredient to a recipe. It ensures uniqueness by appending a long random sequence of characters to a user's password. Even if two users have the same password, because their salts will be different, the cryptographic hash of their passwords will also be different. This compels an attacker to tackle each password individually, ramping up the level of difficulty in cracking passwords.
Salting is especially important because many people use the same or similar passwords for multiple online accounts. Salts help mitigate the risk posed by this behavior. If a salt is unique for each password and not stored in an accessible location, it significantly enhances security. Furthermore, even if a salt for a single account is discovered, it won't compromise other accounts, as each one is unique. For the highest security, the most current hashing algorithms should be used in combination with unique salts for each password. Assessing the level of required security through a risk analysis is a critical step in this process.
