Predictability is the Key!

It isn’t like we have a lot of imagination, I was looking around and saw this blog post post about PIN number analysis.   Let’s just say after I read this, I got chills and it went down my back.   No one person can come up with a easy to remember PIN number and it be safe.   So the problem with this and other passwords are that people tend to make them easy.  This is where the problem lies, if it was easy to come up with a PIN number that is can be predictable then someone else can figure out the pin quite easily.

What throw out and what to keep!

Here are a few things that I saw on the analysis that you should be throw out for sure:

• Birth dates and years — This seems to be a very popular way to go to remember a pin number.   People are either using their year they are born or their month and date they are born to make a pin number for banks an other institutions.  Just throw those out the door.  If I could think of them so could a hacker who wants to get your money!
• Don’t just go down PIN #2580 — Here’s another that seems be a common ploy, looking at your phone and just going straight down.   Which seems to indicate no imagination on the part of  people making the pin.
• Don’t Use only one or two numbers like 1212, 6969, 2000, 1122 — It isn’t hard to figure out what numbers you use will make it easier to remember but it will always make it easier for the the hacker or the bank thief to get your money.
• Don’t try to be cleaver — Something like 42069 is one that is spoken really well on the analysis and thus it comes as a interesting pin.   He didn’t know why but I suspect I know why, and here it is.   420 is common for elight speak for smoking illegal sustances and we know what 69 is.  So you tried to be cleaver but I figure it out and I am sure someone else could easily.

Picking a Good Pin!

Now since we talk about the analysis of the pin numbers, a little and I do hope you checked out the Analysis.   I thought it would be a good idea to at try to guide you into coming up with a less predicable PIN and thus making it that much harder for a Hacker and would be bank thief to get access.   Here I will describe what you might want to do to make it almost unpredictable and still make it remember able. 

• Use the Random Number Generator — Come up with Four numbers you may want to use and use them as your PIN.   (Remember the rules, No repeating numbers, and nothing guessable.)
• After you find a PIN — try to come up with a four letter word that will allow you to remember the number.   You might also go backwards such as starting at the end and create a word for it using your phone.

Use your phone keypad to basically associate the pin with a letter so you can remember it or if you can come up with other ways that will help you in the long run.   You shouln’t write it down but if you do have to, I suggest using something like Lastpass password database and keeping it secure for your eyes only.

This is one way to do it but I am sure someone somewhere has a much better way but at least this way you have control of who or what will know your password.   You want to keep your money safe, and yes I am sure hackers are going to try to use this to figure out your new PIN but it is much harder for them to know which number you picked and when you did it.   So the ball is in your court and not theirs.  Hope this helps!