Bank PIN

A Bank PIN (short form for personal identification number) is a security feature that players can use to protect their banks. It was introduced in the Bank PIN update on 19 September 2005.

Trying to find out someone's bank PIN goes against Rule 3 - Password Scamming (see Rules of RuneScape). It is also good to note that an unsuccessful attempt in gaining one's bank PIN is also against the rules and that one can get reported for doing such act.

Obtaining a bank PIN


To get a bank PIN, players may click on the "Set a Bank PIN" button at the bottom of the Bank interface. Alternatively, players may choose to talk to a banker and say that they would like to check their PIN settings. Once they have done this, they may then set a 4-digit PIN. The Bank PIN may be cancelled before it is put to use.

Their bank will then have a bank PIN in either 3 or 7 days, at the player's discretion. The reason for a 3 (or 7) day delay is that if a person hacks the player's account before the PIN is set, the player can cancel the PIN the next time he/she logs back on.

Removing a bank PIN-

To remove a bank pin you must click the "I dont know" button that is located at the bottom right side of the bank pin menu. This could take 3 to 7 days to remove depending on you bank pin settings.

Using a bank PIN


When a player has a bank PIN, they must then click on the 4 numbers they set it to. Once they have done this, they will have access to their bank account. The bank stays unlocked until the player logs out or loses their connection. The numbers on the keypad shift around after being clicked on to prevent screen-capture spyware from compromising the player's PIN.

After two failed attempts to enter the bank PIN, the system locks the player out for 10 seconds and tells him or her to use the "cancel" option if he or she has made a mistake in entering their PIN. After 3 failed attempts, it makes players wait 1 minute. After 4, it makes players wait 10 minutes. After 6, it makes players wait 20.

Advantages
Bank PINs are a form of damage control against account thieves. Accounts can be stolen if an attacker obtains the login name and the associated password. If a computer is infected with a key-logger, it is possible for a thief to learn the login name and password combinations. Even without such malware infections, weak passwords might be guessed.

If an account thief is armed with only a username and the password, they will not be able to access the items stored away in the account's bank. Additionally, a keylogger cannot easily obtain the PIN, because players have to click on the numbers instead of typing them.

Bank PINs are the best things players can have to protect their bank account and are strongly recommended to have one. In addition, players are well advised to only access their account from a trusted and non-infected computer. A non-obvious password and periodic password changes also help to prevent access to accounts.

As the Bank PIN only protects items that are in the bank, there is no protection for items that a player wears or have in the inventory. Banking all valuables prior to logging off places them behind the protection of the Bank PIN.

The Bank PIN system also appears when attempting to enter the Player-owned house in Building mode for the first time after logging into the game. This helps protect the Player-owned house from vandalism and/or theft from the Costume Room.

Weaknesses
Bank PINs cannot protect against more advanced hacking software. Programs that take a screen shot every time the user clicks the mouse will obtain a screen where only the PIN key is made blank. The surrounding keys still show their number, so the PIN key can be deduced from the captured screen. Hence, bank PINs cannot always prevent hacking, although they provide a decent additional layer of security.

Choosing a PIN
Some of these things are told in the Stronghold of Security, while others are just helpful to know. Here are some PINs that players should avoid using:


 * Their own birthday - many players use this, but it is not advised, as those who know the player may know their birthday.
 * A real life PIN - Jagex cannot absolutely guarantee the security of their database, and if it were compromised then players could be at risk of losing real-life money.
 * A famous date from history - these are very obvious, and someone might guess them.
 * The last 4 digits of a Social Security Number (SSN) - If anyone finds the PIN to be a SSN, the player may be in trouble in real life.
 * The last four digits of a telephone number - Someone might know this information.

Good PIN choices

 * A random number - be sure to memorise this well.
 * A friend, idol or relative's birthday.
 * Spell a word using the telephone keys.
 * Player may also use a calculator (i.e. the calculator in Windows) to add random numbers together.

Situations requiring a PIN

 * Accessing the bank
 * Trading at the Grand Exchange
 * Entering Building mode in a Player-owned house
 * Opening/searching stored items in a Player-owned house Costume Room.
 * Accessing the Party Room chest
 * Accessing a player's Miscellenia funds