Why people pick bad PINs
Studies of leaked PINs show that a handful of codes cover a large share of all 4 digit PINs: 1234 alone is used by roughly one in ten people, and dates like 1990 or 0101 are everywhere. An attacker with three tries on a phone or card will try those first. A random PIN from this generator makes those three tries almost worthless.
Use 6 digits where you can. A 6 digit PIN has a million combinations instead of ten thousand.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 4 digit PIN secure?
Only if it is random and the device locks after a few wrong tries, like a bank card or SIM. For phones, use 6 digits or a passphrase.
Which PINs should I never use?
1234, 1111, 0000, 1212, 7777, 2580 (straight down the keypad), your birth year, birthday or the last digits of your phone number.