03 - Philipp Markert - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About PINs* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)
Channel: Per Thorsheim
Date: 23/11/2020

PINs are one of the most widely used authenticators with various applications in our everyday life, like unlocking our mobile devices or confirming financial transactions. Hence, we are all familiar with PINs and know that 1234 may not be the most secure choice. However, there are various aspects in terms of security and usability, which are not as
obvious: 

What's the ideal PIN length? What are blocklists, and how can we use them to increase the security of PINs? How secure are PINs compared to passwords or patterns?

Based on our recent study, we will answer those as well as many other questions, and we will also tell you why you should care at all, even when using your face or fingerprint to unlock your phone.