which is more secure, passwords or pins? explain your answer course hero

Actually, that PIN is much more secure than your password, and knowing why it is more secure corrects a lot of the misunderstandings about authentication and security. A common trope in password security is that more complexity equals more security.

Full Answer

Is a pin more secure than a password?

Actually, that PIN is much more secure than your password, and knowing why it is more secure corrects a lot of the misunderstandings about authentication and security. A common trope in password security is that more complexity equals more security.

Why is a Hello pin better than a password?

It isn't the structure of a PIN (length, complexity) that makes it better than a password, it's how it works. One important difference between a password and a Hello PIN is that the PIN is tied to the specific device on which it was set up. That PIN is useless to anyone without that specific hardware.

Why do passwords have different protocols than passwords?

Therefore the expectation that it is entered on the first (or second due to fat fingers) attempt correctly can dictate their protocols. On the other hand, passwords have added complexity intended to make them more secure, and also have reset requirements.

Should you use a pin or password for your digital devices?

You can also use a PIN (Personal Identification Number) or password to secure your digital devices or online accounts. However, in this particular case, the choice for most of us is not as straightforward as it seems. The other day I also had the very same discussion among my friends with three different sides of opinion.

How many combinations are there in a pin code?

For a four-digit pin code there are 10,000 combinations and for a six-digit pin code there are a million possible combinations. This may seem high but compare it to an 8-digit password with a mix of upper and lowercase letters, special characters, and numbers which will give you 457,163,239,653,376 possible combinations and you find it is quite trivial. So why don’t people use brute force attacks on PINs? Just use a software or hardware (imagine a robotic finger) that tries all combinations until it is cracked like they do to crack passwords? This plays into another myth about complexity being more secure. Password complexity actually prevents the use of security protocols used to protect PIN codes.

Where is the code stored?

The code, like a password, is stored outside of your device and has to be sent to your device over a network of some kind, making it vulnerable to breaches and interception.

Is pin more secure than password?

Actually, that PIN is much more secure than your password , and knowing why it is more secure corrects a lot of the misunderstandings about authentication and security.

When should you use a PIN?

PIN stands for a Personal Information Number and is used the same as a password to prove that you have the right to access your data. A PIN usually consists of a string of four to eight numbers, and it was first introduced in the 1960s together with cash machines (ATMs) . The obvious drawback is that a PIN is limited to 0-9 numerical digits.

When should you use a password?

A good password is a combination of numerical digits, upper- and lowercase letters, and various special characters. It could also be a phrase made up of words with the same requirements. Like the PIN, the password concept first appeared in the early 1960s and has been used ever since.

Password vs. PIN: the verdict

Going back to the discussion that I had with my friends, we can safely say that all the opinions were correct in one way or another. The answer to this question depends on where you use your PIN or password.

Why do I need a pin to unlock my touchscreen?

If you want to unlock your touchscreen device, the safest and easiest way is to use a PIN because of the manual entry and the attempt limit. When it comes to online accounts or computers, passwords are much safer due to the simple math of available combinations.

What is a pin on a device?

PINs are normally used on touchscreen devices and always require manual data entry. An automated brute-force attack may not work as most of the systems that use a PIN also specify maximum attempts count before disabling the device.

How many numbers are in a pin?

A PIN usually consists of a string of four to eight numbers, and it was first introduced in the 1960s together with cash machines (ATMs). The obvious drawback is that a PIN is limited to 0-9 numerical digits. A PIN made up of four numbers offers 10,000 possible combinations.

When was the 10 character password invented?

It could also be a phrase made up of words with the same requirements. Like the PIN, the password concept first appeared in the early 1960s and has been used ever since. A 10-character password has 59,873,693,923,837,900,000 different variations, and most of you are probably thinking you know which of the two is more secure.

Can passwords be compromised?

Passwords are used online or for devices like computers, which usually don't have any limits on failed attempts. That’s why passwords can be compromised with the help of an automated brute-force attack. Of course, not all attacks are practical, as most of them would take years to crack a strong password.

When should you use a PIN?

PIN stands for a Personal Information Number and is used the same as a password to prove that you have the right to access your data. A PIN usually consists of a string of four to eight numbers, and it was first introduced in the 1960s together with cash machines (ATMs). The obvious drawback is that a PIN is limited to 0-9 numerical digits.

When should you use a password?

A good password is a combination of numerical digits, upper- and lowercase letters, and various special characters. It could also be a phrase made up of words with the same requirements. Like the PIN, the password concept first appeared in the early 1960s and has been used ever since.

Password vs. PIN: the verdict

Going back to the discussion that I had with my friends, we can safely say that all the opinions were correct in one way or another. The answer to this question depends on where you use your PIN or password.

What is a pin code?

Although we generally think of a PIN as a simple four-digit code, administrator s can set policies for managed devices to require a PIN complexity similar to a password. You can require or block: special characters, uppercase characters, lowercase characters, and digits.

What is a pin in a device?

A PIN is local to the device -- it isn't transmitted anywhere and it isn't stored on the server. When the PIN is created, it establishes a trusted relationship with the identity provider and creates an asymmetric key pair that is used for authentication.

What is Hello PIN?

The Hello PIN is backed by a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip, which is a secure crypto-processor that is designed to carry out cryptographic operations. The chip includes multiple physical security mechanisms to make it tamper resistant, and malicious software is unable to tamper with the security functions of the TPM. All Windows 10 Mobile phones and many modern laptops have TPM.

What is a pin in Windows 10?

Windows Hello in Windows 10 enables users to sign in to their device using a PIN. How is a PIN different from (and better than) a password? On the surface, a PIN looks much like a password. A PIN can be a set of numbers, but enterprise policy might allow complex PINs that include special characters and letters, both upper-case and lower-case. Something like t758A! could be an account password or a complex Hello PIN. It isn't the structure of a PIN (length, complexity) that makes it better than a password, it's how it works.

What is a Windows Hello pin?

Windows Hello enables biometric sign-in for Windows 10: fingerprint, iris, or facial recognition. When you set up Windows Hello, you're asked to create a PIN first. This PIN enables you to sign in using the PIN when you can't use your preferred biometric because of an injury or because the sensor is unavailable or not working properly.

How to enable Bitlocker without TPM?

Set account lockout threshold. Use the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) to enable the following policy:

Can someone steal my pin?

That PIN is useless to anyone without that specific hardware. Someone who steals your password can sign in to your account from anywhere, but if they steal your PIN, they'd have to steal your physical device too! Even you can't use that PIN anywhere except on that specific device.

Why do I need a pin for SecureDoc?

Using a PIN saves time over Passwords. Here’s why: Since the device will be performing your authentication (again using Private/Public Keys) you only need to remember one PIN for the device, which in the case of SecureDoc PA can then be used for passwordless login to multiple sites.

How to use a password?

If you compare that to using passwords, you would: 1 Need a separate password for each site (it’s a weak security posture to use the same password on multiple sites). 2 Need to rotate or change each of those 70-80 passwords on a regular basis, to protect against being sniffed or guessed (a risk that grows the longer a given password is kept). 3 Need to log in to each site successfully to be able to change your Password for that site. That alone adds up to a lot of unproductive time – and it will only keep your access “somewhat safe” for the next 30-60-90 days, or whatever your password retention rules are… but ultimately you’ll need to repeat this unproductive and frustrating exercise again near the end of every retention cycle.

What is passwordless authentication?

With Passwordless Authentication, the user’s PIN is tied to the device – it never leaves the user’s computer. This is a very important distinction. That PIN is useless to anyone without that specific hardware. Someone who steals your password can sign-in as you from any device, but if they steal your PIN, to be able to do anything with it they’d have to steal your physical device too!

How many digits are required for a pin?

A 6 or 8 digit PIN is all that is required in most cases to be secure, and this can in fact be much more secure than a long and very complex password (see below) On the surface, a PIN looks much like a password. A PIN can be a set of digits like 342894, but enterprise policy might allow complex PINs that include special characters and letters, ...

What is a pin?

The PIN is, usually, backed by hardware. The PIN can be backed by a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip, which is a secure crypto-processor that is designed to carry out cryptographic operations. The chip includes multiple physical security mechanisms to make it tamper-resistant, and malicious software is unable to tamper with ...

How many pins do I need to remember?

It is easier to remember – you only need to remember one PIN, versus typically 70-80 or more passwords.

Can you sign in to multiple devices?

If you want to sign in on multiple devices, you have to set up a PIN on each device. Being local to the device, the PIN is never transmitted anywhere; a copy of it is not stored on the site or server you want to authenticate to – so, unlike a password, it can’t be attacked by “sniffing” network traffic.

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What About Those Codes For 2-Factor Authentication?

• The four to six-digit code that is sent to your mobile device after entering a password as a second factor of authentication is wholly different from a PIN and not nearly as secure. The code, like a password, is stored outside of your device and has to be sent to your device over a network of some kind, making it vulnerable to breaches and intercep...

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