One in 10 Have the Same ATM Password: Do You?

All of have to juggle several passwords on a daily basis - we have to remember a code to get us into our smartphones, an email password, a four-digit ATM code - and the list grows as our electronic devices accumulate. it can all become a bit too much to handle. And then we're asked to change our passwords on a regular basis as well. It pays to recall that having a commonly used password can put you in danger of being hacked. Laugh if you will, but as of last year, 'password' still tops the list of (lousy) internet passwords, and proves that no matter how many years go by, people still seem unable, or unwilling, to adopt more secure passwords.

As our colleagues at AOL UK Money recently reported, Data Genetics has revealed that 1234 is the most likely ATM code, with nearly 11% likely to use it. The report revealed that there are 10,000 possible permutations of four digits which are suitable for ATM codes. Around 3.4m codes were accessible online, and of this, 1234 appeared over a tenth of the time, with 1111 (6%) taking second place, and 0000 (1.88%) third. The top 20 codes were revealed on the blog, and according to the research, represent around 26.83% of all possible ATM codes. The least likely code, perhaps prior to being revealed in the article, was 8068.

Curious whether your four-digit PIN made the list? Here are the top 20 most common ATM PIN codes:

	PIN	Freq
#1	1234	10.713%
#2	1111	6.016%
#3	0000	1.881%
#4	1212	1.197%
#5	7777	0.745%
#6	1004	0.616%
#7	2000	0.613%
#8	4444	0.526%
#9	2222	0.516%
#10	6969	0.512%
#11	9999	0.451%
#12	3333	0.419%
#13	5555	0.395%
#14	6666	0.391%
#15	1122	0.366%
#16	1313	0.304%
#17	8888	0.303%
#18	4321	0.293%
#19	2001	0.290%
#20	1010	0.285%

Of course it's not just four-digit ATM PINs that are predictably easy to guess. Longer passwords for email, banking and other online sites are equally simple to break. Click on the slideshow below to see 2011's 10 most commonly used (and therefore worst) passwords, and make haste to change yours if it's on the list:

SLIDESHOW: Worst Passwords of 2011

Shield Your Code
It's also important to brush up on good ATM etiquette. Watch the video below, from LINK, the UK's cash machine network, on how to avoid falling victim to cash machine fraud. The video was created by actual fraudsters and recovered by LINK, the UK's cash machine network. Its key point? Shield your code when using an ATM, to protect your PIN, and avoid getting taken by criminals.





RELATED LINKS:
Internet Insecurity: Worst Passwords of 2011
How to Make Your Password Tougher to Hack
Trouble Remembering Passwords? New Technology Can Help