Electronic security requires that no unauthorized person can access data transmitted to or from you. While you cannot always ensure your communications are secure, the use of encryption makes it less likely you or others will compromise security. Encryption is the transformation of data into a form unreadable by anyone without a secret decryption key. Its purpose is to ensure privacy by keeping the information hidden from anyone for whom it is not intended. Even those who can see the encrypted data cannot decode it and understand it.
Encryption allows secure communication over an insecure channel.
A PIN of size larger than 4 digits could have been chosen, especially considering that this size allows only 10,000 different possible combinations of numbers. If unmatching PINs are entered many times for the same student number, at the 4th successive incorrect attempt a warning will be displayed informing you that you have one more trial left before your record gets blocked. However, if at the 5th successive attempt your PIN is still invalid, your records will become automatically blocked and inaccessible. The only way to unblock your record is by going to the Registrar's Office or the Centre for Continuing Education with 2 pieces of identification and asking them to do so. Users must immediately change this first PIN to a four digit number of their choosing.