s2k

What is an s2k algorithm?

What is the definition of an s2k algorithm? For example, "PBKDF2(SHA-1)" is an s2k algorithm. Here is some Botan code that refers to s2k: AutoSeeded_RNG rng; std::auto_ptr<S2K> s2k(get_s2k("PBKDF2(SHA-1)")); s2k->set_iterations(8192); s2k->new_random_salt(rng, 8); SymmetricKey bc_key = s2k->derive_key(key_len, "BLK" + pass...

What does 'salt' refer to in string-to-key (s2k) specifier?

What does 'salt' refer to in string-to-key (s2k) specifier? It appears to be a random number generator to shake things up, but I would like to know what 'salt' stands for? For example it is written: 3.6.1.2. Salted S2K This includes a "salt" value in the S2K specifier -- some arbitrary data -- that gets hashed along with the pa...