Okay kiddo, have you ever played a secret password game with your friends? It's like when someone asks you for a password and you say a word that only you and your friends know. The salted challenge response authentication mechanism is a game like that, but for computers.
Computers also need to make sure that the person trying to log in is really who they say they are. So, they use a special game called the salted challenge response authentication mechanism.
Here's how it works: When you try to log in to your computer, it sends you a secret password challenge, like "What's the name of your pet?" You have to come up with an answer that only you know, like "Fluffy."
But there's a problem: sometimes bad guys can guess your password or intercept your answer! To stop them, the salted challenge response authentication mechanism adds an extra step.
When you set up your account, your computer will give you a secret ingredient that only you know, like "chocolate chips." This is called the salt. When you get the password challenge, you mix in your salt and come up with a new answer, like "Fluffychocolate chips." This is called the response.
Then, you send this new answer back to your computer. The computer then checks if the response is the right answer, but it also checks if you used the right salt. If someone else intercepted your response, they won't know your salt, so they won't be able to log in.
And that's how salted challenge response authentication mechanism helps keep your computer account safe, just like your secret password game with your friends!