Why is hashing important in password security?

Hashing is a critical component of password security because it transforms passwords into a fixed-size string of characters, which is generally a sequence of numbers and letters that does not reveal the original password. This transformation process makes it significantly more difficult for unauthorized users to gain access to the actual passwords, as the original data cannot be easily derived from the hashed output.

When passwords are hashed and stored, even if a malicious actor gains access to the storage, they only find hashed values and not the plain text passwords. Attempting to reverse-engineer the hash to discover the original password is computationally intensive and often impractical, especially if strong hashing algorithms and techniques, such as salting, are employed. This enhances the overall security posture by mitigating the risks associated with password theft.

In contrast, other choices do not align with the primary purpose of hashing in password security. For instance, while hashing does not make passwords easier to remember, it serves to protect them. It also does not merely allow for the storage of passwords in an encrypted format since hashing is not encryption; there are significant differences between the two in terms of reversibility. Finally, hashing does not enable password recovery; it primarily focuses on security by obscuring the original password rather than facilitating its retrieval