Secure Your Data with Emojis

Secure Your Data with Emojis

Connected to our bank accounts and smartphones are those four numbers in a specific pattern that must be used when trying to get money from an account at an ATM or when trying to access our phones. At some point in history, PIN codes were the latest-and-greatest when it came to high-level security practices, but now, with the sophistication that hacking has taken on, it’s time to get creative in securing our private data.

That’s exactly what Intelligent Environments, a UK-based company, has done. Taking the route of creativity, the company developed a system that allows symbols, mostly emojis, to be used instead of a four-digit PIN code. This makes PINs easier to remember and according to research, using emojis can be more secure than simply using digits.

A traditional PIN code of four digits only has 7,290 unique combinations, but based on 44 non-repeating emojis, Intelligent Environments’ Emoji Password makes 3,498,308 unique combinations possible. This means the “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil” monkeys in combination with a heart makes your data 480 times more secure.

Tony Buzan, English author and educational consultant who popularized the ideal of mental literacy and the use of Mind Mapping, applauds the use of emojis for PINs. This is based on Buzan’s research of the human brain and its ability to work better with images by better remembering information in the form of a picture.

Cybersecurity expert Alan Woodward also voiced his support of this system, indicating that hackers would have far more combinations to work through. However, Woodward also suggested that the use of emojis should still be paired with two-factor authentication.

About the Author

Ginger Hill is Group Social Media Manager.

Featured

  • Video Surveillance Trends to Watch

    With more organizations adding newer capabilities to their surveillance systems, it’s always important to remember the “basics” of system configuration and deployment, as well as the topline benefits of continually emerging technologies like AI and the cloud. Read Now

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services
  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

New Products

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.