Nowadays, almost all people have bank accounts. If you have a bank account, you will be using an ATM card or a debit card. As you know that if you want to use an ATM card in an ATM or at POS terminals, you will have to identify your identity by using a unique four-digit number. This unique four-digit number of your ATM card or debit card is known as PIN (Personal Identification Number). You have observed an interesting thing about these PINs that the length of these PINs just consists of four digits only. As we know that an ATM card or a debit card controls the entire account of the user. Moreover, these four digits just consist of numbers only.
On the other hand, if we are creating any other online account, we have to select hard-to-guess passwords. These hard-to-guess passwords consist of some special characters too. If you want to get access to Internet banking on the same account, you will have to choose a hard-to-guess password that consists of at least one numeric digit and a special character. Some banks make it mandatory for customers to change their passwords after 2 to 3 months. In short, you will have to choose a very intelligent password for Internet banking. Now, a question comes to the minds of the people ‘Why does the ATM card PIN have only four digits?’ instead of a hard-to-guess lengthy password.
Why Does the ATM Card PIN have Four Digits?
In this technological world, security is revolving around three major techniques. In the first technique, we have to know ‘Something you are’. For example, if we want to enter into highly confidential areas, we have to follow a retinal scan. Some essential types of retinal scans are fingerprint tests and tongue tests etc. After passing the retinal scan test, you get access to enter into the highly confidential area. The second technique is known as ‘Something you know’. Different kinds of online accounts fall under this technique. It means that if you know the login detail of a person, you can get access to his account. For this reason, you don’t need to show the physical existence of anything. That’s why you are asked to use hard-to-guess passwords to secure your online accounts. The last category is known as ‘Something you have’. Our ATM cards fall under this category.
If you want to use your ATM card, you will have to give proof of two major techniques of security. First, you will have to use your ATM card which falls under the category ‘Something you have’. Secondly, you will have to use the unique PIN of your ATM which falls under the category ‘Something you know’. It means that if someone guesses your password but he hasn’t your ATM card, he can’t get access to your account. That’s why banks and other financial institutions allow you to create a 4-digit PIN for your ATM card. Its reason is that it is easy for the users to remember four digits PIN rather than a 6- or 8-digit PIN. This 4-digit PIN is also safe from attempts of brute forcing. You can use your ATM card with limited security threats. RelevantPosts:
What is Brute Forcing?
Brute forcing is an attempt to determine a password by using all the possible combinations. While getting access to your password by using brute forcing, hackers try all the combinations of numbers and symbols systematically to arrive at the correct combination. In the case of ATM PIN, they use all the combinations like 0000, 1000, 2000, and so on. Moreover, they also try to use the most commonly used PINs to find the PIN of your ATM card. You may also like to read about the keys on a keyboard that are not in alphabetical order.
How ATM PINs are relatively safe against Brute Forcing?
The banks are providing a limit on the use of incorrect PINs. If you have entered the wrong PINs three times in a row, banks will block your ATM card. As a result, you will have to get a new card by connecting with the bank. By using Brute Forcing, the hackers have to enter several wrong PINs before reaching the correct PIN. That’s why we can say that our ATM PINs are safe against Brute Forcing. On the other hand, if someone doesn’t have your ATM card, he can’t do anything.
