Most Credit Card PINs Are Easy to Crack—Here's How to Strengthen Yours « Null Byte :: WonderHowTo

You've probably noticed how we like tostresstheimportanceof astrong password. After all, there are still people out there who continue to use passwords like 123456 and even just "password". But passwords aren't the only barriers that protect your information.According to ablog post by Nick Berry, a former rocket scientist and current president ofData Genetics, there are 10,000 possible combinations for a 4-digit PIN using the numbers 0-9. And out of that myriad of possibilities, nearly 11% of all PINs being used are "1234". Surprised? No? I'm not surprised.So, if four-digit personal identification numbers were actuallybird species, that means that everybody preferssparrows, or simplySPAR, as their passcode.What's next in the list of common PIN codes? Pigeons. Which translates to "1111", of which over 6% use out of the 3.4 million PINs that Berry examined. Here are the other 20 most common PINs used:Out of the over 3 million PINs examined, nearly 27% of all them were one of the 20 above. Why these numbers? Well, "1234" and "0000" shouldn't be hard to figure out, but the code "1004" is actually one popular with Koreans, because the number sounds like the word for "angel", and the 22nd most popular (obviously not in the above chart) is "2580", which is a straight line down the middle of a telephone keypad.Image viaidownloadblog.comBerry also pointed out that 50% use one of the top 426 codes, and that the most uncommon PIN is "8068".So, what does this teach us? Use better PINs, because it's not only important for keeping thieves from stealing your dough from ATMs, but it's also very important forkeeping law enforcement out of your smartphone. How many of you actually use "2580" as your iPhone's passcode? Really? How about your voicemail PIN code? Yeah.So What Numbers Don't You Use?Don'tuse any patterns.Don'tuse any birth dates.Don'tuse any repeating digits.Don'tuse any years.Don'tuse the same PIN for your smartphone as your debit card.Don'tuse the most commonly unused PIN, "8068", because now everybody knows it.Don'tuse the last 4 digits of your social security number.Don'tuse the last 4 digits of your phone number.Don'tuse your address number.Don'tuse the PIN that came with your credit or debit card.Don'tuse the last four digits of you credit or debit card number.What PINs Do You Use Then?Douse four different digits that don't apply to any of the above.Dochange your PIN every month to keep hackers on their toes.If you want to see more details on Berry's analysis,check out his blog.Want to start making money as a white hat hacker?Jump-start your hacking career with our2020 Premium Ethical Hacking Certification Training Bundlefrom the newNull Byte Shopand get over 60 hours of training from cybersecurity professionals.Buy Now (90% off) >Other worthwhile deals to check out:97% off The Ultimate 2021 White Hat Hacker Certification Bundle99% off The 2021 All-in-One Data Scientist Mega Bundle98% off The 2021 Premium Learn To Code Certification Bundle62% off MindMaster Mind Mapping Software: Perpetual LicensePhotos bydicktay2000,redspottedRelatedHow To:MagSpoof Digitally Clones the Magnetic Stripe of Any Credit CardHow To:Hack WPA WiFi Passwords by Cracking the WPS PINHow To:PIN-Protect Photos, Log-in Credentials, Credit Card Info, Notes, & More with KeeplyHow To:Use BlackBerry Wallet to store personal informationHow To:No Jelly Bean for You? 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