Final answer:
The term 'salt' in hashing refers to random bits added to passwords before hashing, preventing attacks such as dictionary and rainbow table attacks by creating unique hashes for users with potentially identical passwords.
Step-by-step explanation:
In relationship to hashing, the term "salt" refers to random bits that are used as one of the inputs to a hash function. The salt is unique for each user and, when combined with a password, results in a unique hash. By adding this random data, it becomes much harder for an attacker to carry out a successful dictionary attack, which often relies on pre-computed hashes of common passwords. Moreover, salts are especially effective against rainbow table attacks because these attacks require pre-computed tables of hashed passwords, and salts make sure that even if two users have the same password, they will end up with different hashes.