Password or PIN number any difference

[TinLegs]

I have often wondered why 4 digit PIN numbers are (to my knowledge) not used for software/data protection as almost all applications and websites seem to use string passwords which I guess in some circumstances could be a PIN number but not solely a non-string entry field.

Are there any advantages/disadvantages?

 

[cagiv]

Hi,

advantages:
easy to keep in mind

disadvantages:
easy to hack, there are tools which try many combinations per second and need only view minutes to find the right

cagiv

 

[ShankarJ]

Hi!

As Cagiv said, 4-digit numeric passwords are easy to hack and so you will have to decide the kind of security you want depending on the nature of the application. FWIW, if you have a STRING password column, you can always enter 4 digit numbers in it. The normal standard for a password is a minimum of 6 characters which includes Alphabets, Numbers & optionally special characters.

Regards

 

[TinLegs]

Very interesting. Although being easy to hack did cross my mind I could not understand why banks used PIN numbers if this was the case.

I will stick to a password string of not less then 6 characters as recommended.

Thank you

 

[ShankarJ]

Hi!

If you are talking of the PIN used in ATM's, that's because you use it in conjunction with a physical ATM card. Actually, there are door access systems used in certain companies which operate the same way (card + PIN).

Regards