CompTIA Security+ (SY0-501) — Question 194

The process of applying a salt and cryptographic hash to a password then repeating the process many times is known as which of the following?

Answer options

• A. Collision resistance
• B. Rainbow table
• C. Key stretching
• D. Brute force attack

Correct answer: C

Explanation

Key stretching is the correct answer because it describes the method of enhancing password security through the repeated application of hashing with a salt. The other options do not relate to this process; collision resistance pertains to hash functions, rainbow tables are precomputed tables for reversing cryptographic hash functions, and brute force attacks involve guessing passwords rather than enhancing their security.