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EC-Council 212-81 Exam - Topic 10 Question 58 Discussion

Posted by Laurena on Jul 07, 2025 at 07:33 PM

In relationship to hashing, the term _____refers to random bits that are used as one of the inputs to the hash. Essentially the ______ is intermixed with the message that is to be hashed

Suggested Answer: B

Salt

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_(cryptography)

A salt is random data that is used as an additional input to a one-way function that hashes data, a password or passphrase. Salts are used to safeguard passwords in storage. Historically a password was stored in plaintext on a system, but over time additional safeguards were developed to protect a user's password against being read from the system. A salt is one of those methods.

Incorrect answers:

Vector -Wrong!

IV-an initialization vector or starting variable (SV) is a fixed-size input to a cryptographic primitive that is typically required to be random or pseudorandom. Randomization is crucial for encryption schemes to achieve semantic security, a property whereby repeated usage of the scheme under the same key does not allow an attacker to infer relationships between segments of the encrypted message. For block ciphers, the use of an IV is described by the modes of operation. Randomization is also required for other primitives, such as universal hash functions and message authentication codes based thereon.

Stream -A stream cipher is a symmetric key cipher where plaintext digits are combined with a pseudorandom cipher digit stream (keystream). In a stream cipher, each plaintext digit is encrypted one at a time with the corresponding digit of the keystream, to give a digit of the ciphertext stream. Since encryption of each digit is dependent on the current state of the cipher, it is also known as state cipher. In practice, a digit is typically a bit and the combining operation is an exclusive-or (XOR).


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30 comments · newest first
LI
Lindsey 10 months ago
Not sure about that, sounds a bit off to me.
LE
Leandro 10 months ago
Salt is used to prevent rainbow table attacks, right?
LE
Lenna 10 months ago
I thought it was IV, but salt makes sense too.
LO
Lovetta 11 months ago
Wait, isn't it also called a vector sometimes?
AH
Ahmad 11 months ago
It's definitely salt!
BE
Bette 11 months ago
I’m pretty confident it’s "salt." I practiced a similar question where it was specifically about adding randomness to passwords.
YU
Yun 11 months ago
I’m leaning towards "salt" too, but I vaguely recall something about "vector" in a different context. It’s confusing!
TE
Tenesha 12 months ago
I remember practicing a question about hashing where "IV" was mentioned. Could it be that? But I feel like "salt" is more common.
FI
Filiberto 12 months ago
I think the term we're looking for is "salt," but I’m not completely sure. It’s used to add randomness to the hashing process, right?
JU
Justine 1 year ago
I'm feeling pretty confident about this one. The answer is definitely "salt".
ST
Stefany 1 year ago
I've got a good strategy for this - I'll start by reviewing what I know about hashing and then eliminate the options that don't fit.
OR
Ora 1 year ago
I'm a bit confused on the difference between salt and vector. Can someone clarify that for me?
AL
Alline 1 year ago
Okay, I think I know the answer to this. The term is "salt", right?
MI
Miles 1 year ago
Hmm, this seems like a tricky one. I'll need to think it through carefully.
PE
Peggy 1 year ago
I believe it's IV, because it's used to initialize the hash function.
KI
Kiley 1 year ago
I'm not sure, but I think it might be Vector.
YE
Yesenia 1 year ago
I agree with Aleisha, Salt makes sense as it adds randomness to the hash.
ED
Edison 1 year ago
B) Salt, hands down. Gotta keep those hashes nice and flavorful, am I right?
JO
Jolene 1 year ago
↳ replying to Edison
D) IV
SA
Sarah 1 year ago
↳ replying to Edison
B) Salt, hands down. Gotta keep those hashes nice and flavorful, am I right?
PA
Paola 1 year ago
↳ replying to Edison
A) Vector
AL
Aleisha 1 year ago
I think the term is Salt.
LA
Lamar 1 year ago
I think it's D) IV. You know, like the Roman numeral for 4. Totally makes sense in the context of hashing.
AM
Amber 1 year ago
↳ replying to Lamar
User 3: I agree with Lindsey and Amber. Salt is definitely the term you're looking for.
LI
Lindsey 1 year ago
↳ replying to Lamar
User 2: Lindsey is correct. Salt is used to prevent hash collisions.
AL
Albina 1 year ago
↳ replying to Lamar
User 1: I think it's B) Salt. Adds some randomness to the hash.
EL
Elliott 1 year ago
B) Salt, of course! How else are you supposed to season your hashes?
EL
Eleonora 1 year ago
↳ replying to Elliott
B) Salt adds that extra layer of security to the hashing process.
RA
Raina 1 year ago
↳ replying to Elliott
D) IV, I think it's the initialization vector used in encryption.
DI
Dierdre 1 year ago
↳ replying to Elliott
B) Salt, of course! How else are you supposed to season your hashes?
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