"How Secure Are Four and Six-Digit Mobile Phone Pins?"

A team of IT security researchers did a study on how users decide what PIN to set for their mobile phones, as well as how they could be encouraged to pick more secure PINs. The researchers conducted a comprehensive study in which they had Apple and Android users choose either four or six-digit PINs, which were then examined to see how easy they are to guess. In the study, participants were told to pick a PIN at random, while others were required to choose PINS that were not blacklisted. The IT security experts used different blacklists, including the one used by Apple for iPhones. According to the findings of the study, six-digit PINs are not more secure than four-digit PINs as users often stick to certain combinations such as "123456" or "654321". Researchers suggest that most users do not understand what makes six-digit PINs more secure than four-digit ones. It was also discovered that passwords are more secure than four and six-digit PINs, while PINs provide a higher level of security than pattern locks. This article continues to discuss how the experiment was conducted by researchers, the security of six-digit PINs, the effectiveness of blacklists for PINs, and what PINs are the most common. 

EurekAlert! reports "How Secure Are Four and Six-Digit Mobile Phone Pins?"