Experts warn that using common PINs can make you a target for cybercriminals
London: People are being put on alert about using common four-digit PINs. It turns out these PINs can make you an easy target for cybercriminals.
Hackers often steal money from bank accounts using these simple codes. So, it’s super important to pick a unique PIN that’s hard to guess.
PINs aren’t just for bank accounts; they also lock phones, safes, and lockers. If your PIN is too easy, those items could be at risk too.
Nick Berry from DataGenetics did some digging and found the most common PINs. He says you should steer clear of these patterns to stay safe.
The number one most common PIN? You guessed it—1234. Other easy ones like 7777, 1111, and 0000 are also a big no-no.
Using birthdays might seem safer, but it’s still risky. For example, 2000 is among the top ten most common PINs, and 2001 isn’t far behind.
Mr. Berry noted that the top 20 common PINs make up about 26.8% of the 3.4 million PINs he analyzed. That’s a lot!
On the flip side, the least common PIN was 8068, used only 25 times. The least common ones don’t follow easy patterns and avoid starting with 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.
