If all numbers have a 1/10 chance of selection, why is a combination like “3478” safer than “0000” or “1234” for a PIN?

Question

If all numbers have a 1/10 chance of selection, why is a combination like “3478” safer than “0000” or “1234” for a PIN?

In: Technology

Answer 1

Let’s say I’ve got a house with a lot of land. So much land that there’s ten thousand places to hide a spare key. Wow! You might think it could be in any one of those places, so they’re all equally safe. The issue is, some places are used a lot because they’re easy to remember, or make it easy to get the key. Even if you’ve got ten thousand places to put a spare key, “under the welcome mat” is still not safe at all. It’s much less secure than “in the fake sprinkler next to the cherry tree”.

Setting your pin to 1234 is like putting the key under the welcome mat. It’s easy and lazy, and it’s one of the first things people check. 3478, however, is less likely to be checked – it’s the fake sprinkler near the cherry tree.