Which technique is commonly used to secure password storage?

Hashing passwords using algorithms like SHA-256 is a widely accepted technique for securing password storage. Hashing transforms the password into a fixed-size string of characters, which appears random and is unique to the input password. This process ensures that even if someone gains unauthorized access to the stored passwords, they would see only the hashes, making it difficult to reverse-engineer the original passwords.

Using a strong hashing algorithm like SHA-256 is important because it provides a good level of security due to its resistance against collision attacks (where two different inputs generate the same hash) and its relatively high computational cost, making brute-force attacks less feasible. Furthermore, the inclusion of additional techniques such as salting (adding random data to each password before hashing) enhances security by ensuring that even identical passwords yield different hashes.

In contrast, encrypting passwords with symmetric keys entails the possibility of the keys being compromised, thereby exposing the actual passwords if the encryption is broken. Storing passwords in plain text is a major security risk as it leaves them completely unprotected and easily accessible to attackers. Relying only on multi-factor authentication does provide an extra layer of security but does not directly address the fundamental issue of secure password storage itself. Thus, hashing presents the best practice for protecting