What is adding a value to the end of a password called?

SY0-601 By islever Editorial Last updated

Short answer

A Adding a value to the end of a password to create a different password hash is called salting.

Question

Adding a value to the end of a password to create a different password hash is called:
  1. salting. Correct Answer
  2. key stretching.
  3. steganography.
  4. MD5 checksum.

Key Takeaways

The question tests the definition of salting versus key stretching or steganography, with the common trap being confusion between these cryptographic concepts.

Salting involves appending random data to a password before hashing to ensure unique hashes for identical passwords, preventing rainbow table attacks.

Common mistake: Candidates often confuse salting with key stretching (like PBKDF2), which increases computational cost rather than just ensuring uniqueness.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Salting is the process of adding a unique, random string of data (the salt) to a password before it is hashed. This ensures that even if two users have the same password, their resulting hashes will be different, effectively neutralizing rainbow table attacks.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Key stretching involves iteratively applying a hash function to increase the time required to crack a password, not just appending data. Steganography is the practice of hiding information within other media, unrelated to password hashing. An MD5 checksum is a specific hash algorithm used for integrity verification, not a method for securing passwords against precomputed tables.

Community Comment Notes

The community overwhelmingly selected Salting, with users confirming "A. Salting" as the correct term for this operation. Comments like "Now we are salting!!!" reflect the straightforward nature of this definition-based question.

Exam Strategy

Focus on distinguishing between password storage techniques: salting (uniqueness), hashing (integrity/one-way), and key stretching (difficulty). Memorize the specific purpose of each to avoid confusion on exam day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why isn't this key stretching?

Key stretching adds iterations to make cracking slower, while salting adds random data to make hashes unique.

Does salting hide the password content?

No, salting ensures unique hashes for identical passwords but does not encrypt or hide the original password itself.

More SY0-601 FAQ →

Community Votes

A
100%

100% of anonymous learners picked answer A. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 8 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 8

  1. Phlorem 👍 2
    Now we are salting!!! I loveee ittt!!
  2. scholarbust 👍 2
    A. Salting, same as Question #790
  3. Gabuu 👍 1 Answered A
    Salting is correct
  4. d845f70 👍 1 Answered A
    Add = Salting
  5. AspiringNerd 👍 1
    Salting again
Show 3 more comments
  1. shady23 👍 1 Answered A
    A. salting.
  2. Hs1208 👍 1 Answered A
    A.Salting
  3. Lipton376 👍 1 Answered A
    Salting

Reader comments & corrections

No reader corrections yet — spotted an error or have a note? Share it below.

Log in to comment, report an error, or add a note about this question.

MFA and Patch Management Control Type and Category

S-grade

Threat Hunting Data Sources for Exploitable Systems

S-grade

Full Weekly and Differential Daily Backup Strategy

S-grade

Access Auditing as the SaaS Vendor Risk to Focus On

S-grade

← Back to SY0-601 Study Guide