The Most Common Four-Digit PIN Codes That Can Compromise Your Security
In today’s world, the importance of a PIN code is hard to overstate. It provides instant access to your bank account, allowing you to withdraw or deposit money. However, for hackers and thieves, it’s one of the easiest ways to steal funds. That’s why choosing a unique and hard-to-guess PIN code is extremely important.
Some people, not wanting to memorize complex combinations, use simple and easily guessed codes. But PIN codes are used not only for bank cards, but also to lock phones, safes, and lockers. If your PIN code is easy to guess, these items are also at risk.
Recently, analyst Nick Berry from DataGenetics conducted a large-scale study analyzing leaked databases of digital passwords to determine the most common PIN codes. The results showed that the most frequently used codes are simple numeric sequences, which should be avoided to improve security.
Top 10 Most Common PIN Codes
The most common PIN code turned out to be “1234,” as it is the most obvious sequence. Repeating digits like “7777,” “1111,” or “0000” are also frequently used and easy to guess.
- 1234
- 1111
- 0000
- 1212
- 7777
- 1004
- 2000
- 4444
- 2222
- 6969
Other combinations, such as those based on birth years, are also unreliable—especially if an attacker knows this information. For example, “2000” made it into the top 10, and “2001” is in the top 20. Combinations like “19XX” are also very common in the analyzed data. Overall, using your own or a loved one’s birth year as a PIN code is far from safe.
The Least Common PIN Codes
The least used PIN code was 8068, which appeared only 25 times in the entire analyzed database of 3.4 million passwords. Among the 20 least common codes, there are no easily recognizable patterns, and none of them start with the digits 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.
Here are the top 10 least common PIN codes:
- 8957
- 9480
- 6793
- 8398
- 0738
- 7637
- 6835
- 9629
- 8093
- 8068
Knowing the most common PIN codes is useful, but Berry warns readers not to use codes from the least common list, especially “8068.” “Hackers can read too!” the researcher reminded. “They will also try 8068, hoping to catch those who read articles like this.”
Interesting Facts About PIN Codes
One particularly interesting combination is “1004.” This number is popular among Korean users because it is pronounced “chonsa,” which means “angel” in Korean.
How to Protect Your PIN Code
In conclusion, to improve your security, you should choose truly unique and complex combinations, avoiding simple and common patterns, repeated numbers, and birth dates. When entering your PIN code in public, always cover the keypad with your hand to prevent potential attackers from seeing your combination.