PIN numbers have been used for a long time in banking and other security applications to help with the identification process.

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The more digits in your PIN the harder it is to guess (and conversely the also harder to remember).  To protect you VeroCards allow only 3 attempts at PIN entry before being blocked, but even with this added security feature you should ensure you choose a PIN which is uncommon to protect your identity from unauthorized use. 

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A historical analysis of leaked PIN codes has shown some common human behavior which should be avoided to ensure your PIN is as secure as possible.  In the 2012 analysis it was discovered that the most used 4-digit PIN code was actually 1234, closely followed by 1111, with 0000, 1212 and 7777 rounding out the top five – as the article suggests the lack of imagination is astounding!  These 5 codes alone represented over 20% of the PIN codes used in the sample.  Other commonly used patterns are duplicates (for example: 3344 or 1199) and sequences both forward 2345 and backward 5432, which while they offer an easier number to remember are also therefore easier to guess.

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VeroGuard recommends using at least 6 digits in your PIN, and to never use your date of birth, phone number or postcode (as these numbers are able to be socially engineered), avoid using a sequence or duplicating digits and – of course – staying well away from the most commonly used PINs.