Password salting is most commonly found within Linux operating systems, and it is generally considered a more secure password encryption model than any of the models used within the various Microsoft distributions.
Password salting is a technique to protect passwords stored in databases by adding a string of 32 or more characters and then hashing them. Salting prevents hackers who breach an enterprise environment from reverse-engineering passwords and stealing them from the database.
Password salting increases password complexity, making them unique and secure without affecting user experience. It also helps prevent hash table attacks and slows down brute-force and dictionary attacks.
TechStuff Explains Password Salting :
When a username has been established, the user typically creates a password to associate with this username. After the user has submitted the password to the salt-enabled system, the system appends the password to the username. Then, the new string of characters is hashed. This is a very effective way of encrypting passwords because even if two different users coincidentally select the same password, their usernames will almost certainly be different, thereby resulting in a different hash value.
Password hashing and why salting is required?
Hashing prevents passwords from being exposed or stolen by threat actors, since they are not stored as plaintext. For example, when users create an account with a username and password on a website, their password is hashed and stored in an internal file system in an encrypted form.
When users log in, the password runs through a one-way hashing algorithm that converts the password into a different and unrecognizable string of characters. During login, this string is compared to the other hashes stored in the website's database. If the credentials match the stored hash, users can access the account. If it doesn't match, hash verification fails, and users are not able to log in.