Analysis of leaked databases reveals that many people continue to use highly common and easily guessable PIN numbers, despite the risk of falling victim to scams and cyber-attacks. Data from "Information is Beautiful," analyzed by the late Nick Berry, shows that '1234' is still the most common PIN, representing almost 11% of the 3.4 million four-digit PINs collected from data breaches. Other frequent choices include '1111', '0000', '1212', and '7777'.
Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor at ESET, emphasized how such easily guessable passcodes enable attackers to target individuals more efficiently. The analysis also revealed repeating numerical patterns and sequences such as '2323' or '5656', as well as birth year-based codes like those starting with '19'.
Less common PIN numbers include '8557', '8438', and '9539'. The risk of using simple PINs is further highlighted by the fact that with just 61 guesses, a hacker could potentially crack one-third of all passcodes analyzed. This extends to passwords for online services, where many people use easily crackable numerical sequences, according to cybersecurity experts like Tomas Smalakys, CTO of NordPass.
To mitigate risks, experts advise using longer, complex passwords and employing password managers to generate and store them securely.