3 ms·

Op completely misses how insecure a four digit pin is for prying eyes. If I work in the same office as you, or share any space with you at all, I can pretty muc

by ben174 9y ago

Op completely misses how insecure a four digit pin is for prying eyes. If I work in the same office as you, or share any space with you at all, I can pretty much guarantee I can easily sneak a glimpse at your pin when you enter it.

pmontra 9y ago
Exactly, thieves can decide which phone to steal after seeing the PIN (think about a bus or subway in a rush hour.) It's possible to get many pictures of someone if you know who s/he is. It's hard to collect fingerprints, at least for the average thief. If you want to protect against police, whatever the reason, then PIN is ok butbut be careful when entering it in public.
- lugg 9y ago
  I feel like if they're determined enough the type of lock you use is irrelevant. The only reason I have a lock on my phone is so if I lose my phone somewhere randoms can't access it. If they're going to mug me for my phone they can mug me just as easily for my passcode or my fingerprint. I guess there is an argument for pick pockets but that's a lesser concern for me. Anywhere it's likely to happen my hand is usually on my phone.
chaostheory 9y ago
1. It's 6 digits now, and not 4. 2. I can also better hide myself entering the pin 3. As mentioned in other places, unlike a fingerprint or face; you can easily change pin codes. In an ideal world, facial recognition or touch id would serve as identification in addition to the pin code.
- dawnerd 9y ago
  https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2016/11/using_wi-fi_to_.html https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2016/11/using_wi-fi_t... Pins are basically useless to anyone determined, no matter how much you try to hide it. There's no real bullet-proof security except for a really long password, but how many people are going to do that realistically?
  - chaostheory 9y ago
    > WindTalker presents a novel approach to collect the target's CSI data by deploying a public WiFi hotspot. If you don't join public WiFi hotspots, this isn't a danger. Yes pins are not foolproof. They are however still better than facial scans or thumb scans.

by ben174 9y ago

pmontra 9y ago

Exactly, thieves can decide which phone to steal after seeing the PIN (think about a bus or subway in a rush hour.) It's possible to get many pictures of someone if you know who s/he is. It's hard to collect fingerprints, at least for the average thief. If you want to protect against police, whatever the reason, then PIN is ok butbut be careful when entering it in public.

lugg 9y ago
I feel like if they're determined enough the type of lock you use is irrelevant. The only reason I have a lock on my phone is so if I lose my phone somewhere randoms can't access it. If they're going to mug me for my phone they can mug me just as easily for my passcode or my fingerprint. I guess there is an argument for pick pockets but that's a lesser concern for me. Anywhere it's likely to happen my hand is usually on my phone.

chaostheory 9y ago

1. It's 6 digits now, and not 4. 2. I can also better hide myself entering the pin 3. As mentioned in other places, unlike a fingerprint or face; you can easily change pin codes. In an ideal world, facial recognition or touch id would serve as identification in addition to the pin code.

dawnerd 9y ago
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2016/11/using_wi-fi_to_.html https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2016/11/using_wi-fi_t... Pins are basically useless to anyone determined, no matter how much you try to hide it. There's no real bullet-proof security except for a really long password, but how many people are going to do that realistically?
- chaostheory 9y ago
  > WindTalker presents a novel approach to collect the target's CSI data by deploying a public WiFi hotspot. If you don't join public WiFi hotspots, this isn't a danger. Yes pins are not foolproof. They are however still better than facial scans or thumb scans.