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The 10 Most Common 4-Digit PINs: Is Yours One of Them?

By: Jim Stickley and Tina Davis
March 25, 2025

By now, it’s common knowledge that anything to do with your online security that’s easy-to-guess presents personal security risks. One of those risks involves using a 4-digit PIN code for your smartphone, additional devices, ATM accounts, and payment cards. Commonly used PINs make it easy for you to remember but they also make it easy for hackers to guess. Below are 10 of the most common 4-digit PIN codes cybercriminals try first, so take a look and see if yours is on the list.

  1. 1234
  2. 1111
  3. 0000
  4. 1342
  5. 1212
  6. 2222
  7. 4444
  8. 1122
  9. 1986
  10.  2020

Practicing Healthy PINs

Whether your PIN is on the list or you’re about to create a new one, there’s a commonsense approach similar to creating a secure password. Simple passwords risk hacked accounts, but so too do common PINs. Here are a few tips to ponder creating a healthy and secure PIN.

  • Be unpredictable. PIN numbers making straight lines and other basic patterns are also easily guessed
  • Make it random. Never create a PIN from meaningful personal or family dates, especially if they’re posted on your social media accounts (which you should avoid doing). Cyber creeps troll these sites looking for birthdates and other info translating to a 4-digit PIN
  • Change it up. Like passwords, changing PIN codes periodically can thwart a criminal who has access to your PIN by cracking it or from a data breach. Regularly changing your PIN can lock someone out who has your previous PIN—before they have a chance to use it.
  • Refuse to reuse. Reusing a PIN for more than one device or account is something you don’t want to regret later. Make each PIN unique and limit the damage a criminal can do.
  • Choose longer PINS. Whenever there’s an option to use a longer PIN, like six numbers instead of four, take it. A longer PIN can be harder to guess, much like longer passwords have added security.

Applying a commonsense approach choosing a 4-digit PIN that you would creating a strong and unique password makes a hacker’s job more difficult—and who wouldn’t want to do that?



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