Why is a password salt called a "salt"? [closed]

Solution 1:

Maybe because salt goes well with hash?

Solution 2:

http://www.derkeiler.com/Newsgroups/comp.security.misc/2003-05/0154.html

The use of the word "salt" is probably a reference to warfare in ancient times, when people would salt the wells or farmland to make it less hospitable. The Romans are sometimes supposed to have done this to Carthage in 146 BC. In the context of passwords, a "salted" password is harder to crack.

Apparently, there's no strong evidence even for the original "salting" of Carthage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salting_the_earth) claim, but an interesting hypothesis nonetheless.

Solution 3:

The only meaning is that you are adding something to your password before you hash it, similarly to adding salt to your meal :-)