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April 25, 2013, 12:17:22 AM |
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It's a little cryptographic joke. Usually, passwords are stored as a hash, which converts a password of any length to a fixed-length series of bytes. The same password results in the same hash always. This allows a password to be checked by hashing it and comparing it to a stored hash. The password cannot be reasonably deduced from the hash. (Note: Bitcoin mining is a partial reversal of a special hash that will not be discussed in this post). However, salt helps keep the password more secure. There is a lookup table called a rainbow table that allows a hash to be cracked with ease for limited length passwords. By adding a salt(by sticking it on the end of the password at the Slush server before hashing), the hashes are now of a password and a salt. While this does not appreciably slow down bruteforce, rainbow tables are not prepared to deal with an arbitrary salt. Therefore salting secures your password.
Now the pepper is just a joke as salt often is used with pepper. Ketchup is another condiment.
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