The safest 4-digit PIN is '8068' — or at least it was, until researchers at Data Genetics told everyone this week.The researchers there went through a set of 3.4 million four-digit personal identification numbers and found "8068" came up only 25 times.
But now that this news is out, that's probably a PIN to stay away from. As Softpedia pointed out, would-be thieves may start trying that combination right after they hit "1234" ―the most common PIN, with nearly 11 percent frequency.
While not as common as 1234, there are several numbers that people seem drawn toward. For instance, PINs starting in "19" are common because people like to link their identification numbers with a significant year. In fact, all PINs that start in 19 fall into the top fifth of the dataset.
The top 20 includes all the series in which the first number is repeated throughout (such as 3333) plus 4321, 1212 and 2001. The study also found that many PINs are based on visual clues. Coming in at No. 22 is 2580 ―the numbers that run down the middle of a phone or ATM keypad.
Based on this report, more than10 percent of all bank accounts can be hacked with one guess. Beyond that, one-third of all PINs are made up of just 61 variations.
Even when PINs get longer, security doesn't seem to improve. Regardless of length, the most popular personal identification numbers appear in sequential order. As for the second-most common combinations, among seven-digit PINs it's 7777777. Six digits? 123123. What about nine? 987654321.
It's also important to note that PIN users are fans of 1980s band Tommy Tutone. "Jenny's" number, 8675309, is the fourth most-popular seven-digit PIN.
So what is the most secure PIN now that 8068 has been outed as the least popular? It's the one you make up, don't write down and don't share with anyone. As long as you don't use your birthday (or your spouse's or child's), or 1234, your PIN should be just as secure as the gentleman's at the ATM in front of you.
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FAQs
So what is the most secure PIN now that 8068 has been outed as the least popular? It's the one you make up, don't write down and don't share with anyone. As long as you don't use your birthday (or your spouse's or child's), or 1234, your PIN should be just as secure as the gentleman's at the ATM in front of you.
What is the most secure 4 digit PIN? ›
“Statistically, 8068 is the safest PIN,” says Tyler Moffitt, senior threat research analyst at Webroot. “Other good numbers are 7637, 6835, and 9629. But that's mainly because they follow no pattern, isn't a date, or repetition of numbers, or the column of the keypad (2580).”
What is the least popular 4 digit PIN? ›
First question: the least popular 4-digit PIN seems to be: 8068. Second question: would it be harder to guess? Well, imagine you're a thief who has come into possession of someone else's ATM card. You get three tries before the card is locked.
Which is the luckiest 4-digit number? ›
A four digit number (numbered from 0000 to 9999) is said to be lucky if sum of its first two digits is equal to the sum of its last two digits.
What is the most powerful 4 digit number? ›
9999 is the largest 4 digit number.
Which pin number is the weakest? ›
The worst PIN codes of all time: '1234,' '0000,' '6969'
What is the last 4 digits security code? ›
The CSC is typically printed on the back of a credit card (usually in the signature field). On some cards, all or part of the card number appears before the CSC, for example, 1234 567. In this example, 1234 are the last four digits of the credit card number, and 567 is the CSC.
What is the hardest 4 digit PIN number? ›
A: The hardest 4-digit password is 8068. It is one of the strongest numeric passwords available. Other commonly used 4-digit passwords are 1234, 0000, and 2580. To create the strongest 4-digit password, experts recommend combining numbers, symbols, and capital letters for a secure password that is difficult to guess.
What is the rarest PIN code? ›
Research suggests thieves can guess one in five PINs by trying just three combinations. How easy would it be for a thief to guess your four-digit PIN?
What are the common PIN numbers to avoid? ›
Avoid the obvious
Make your PIN less easy to guess by avoiding obvious number combinations or sequences such as “1111,” “1234” or “9876.”
There is a strong connection between the number seven and many religions around the globe. Lucky number 7 is even the basis for many myths and folklore. Ancient beliefs from around the world believed that the seventh son of the seventh son would be gifted with magical powers (both good and evil).
What are extremely lucky numbers? ›
Lucky primes
They are: 3, 7, 13, 31, 37, 43, 67, 73, 79, 127, 151, 163, 193, 211, 223, 241, 283, 307, 331, 349, 367, 409, 421, 433, 463, 487, 541, 577, 601, 613, 619, 631, 643, 673, 727, 739, 769, 787, 823, 883, 937, 991, 997, ...
Is 4 the unluckiest number? ›
While not traditionally considered an unlucky number, 4 has in recent times, gained an association with bad luck because of its pronunciation, predominantly for the Cantonese. The belief that the number 4 is unlucky originated in China, where the Chinese have avoided the number since ancient times.
What is an interesting 4 digit number? ›
The number 6174 is known as Kaprekar's constant after the Indian mathematician D. R. Kaprekar.
What is the most popular 4 digit number? ›
The most popular password is 1234.
It was found more often than the lowest 4,200 codes combined. The second most popular 4-digit PIN is 1111 at almost 6% (204,000).
What is the most uncommon 4 digit code? ›
The least common, 8068, occurred only 25 times in 3.4 million PIN examples – but the trick clearly is to pick numbers in no discernible numerical order or keypad pattern.
What is the most probable 4 digit password? ›
The most popular password is 1234.
Nearly 11% of the 3.4 million passwords are 1234. That is 374,000! It was found more often than the lowest 4,200 codes combined. The second most popular 4-digit PIN is 1111 at almost 6% (204,000).
What is the most common 4 digit lock? ›
By the way, the most common four-digit PINs according to the study are: 1234, 0000, 2580, 1111 and 5555 (scroll down for a longer list) – 2580 is there because it is a vertical column on a numeric keypad.
What is a safe PIN number? ›
An 8- or 12-digit PIN is more secure than a traditional 4-digit number, but it's also harder to remember, unless it is already in your memory.
How secure is my 4 digit code? ›
It should in theory be more secure, but in reality, users were more likely to use insecure combinations such as 123456 if they were given more numbers to play with. A four-digit PIN can be used to create 10,000 different combinations, while a six-digit PIN can be used to create one million.
