Bank PIN

A bank PIN (short form for personal identification number) is a security feature players can use to protect their banks.

Obtaining a bank PIN
To get a bank PIN, players must talk to a banker and say that they would like to check their PIN settings. Once they have done this, they can then set a PIN. The PIN will be a set of 4 numbers. Their bank will then have a bank PIN in either 3 or 7 days, at the player's discretion. The Bank PIN can be canceled before it is put to use. The Bank PIN system also appears when attempting to enter the player's house in building mode for the first time since logging into the game. 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.

How to use a bank PIN
Once 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. Once a player has entered their PIN, their bank stays unlocked until they log out or lose your connection. The numbers on the keypad shift around after being clicked on to prevent screen-capture spyware from compromising the player's PIN number.

After two failed attempts to enter the bank PIN the system locks the player out for 10 seconds and tells them to use the "cancel" option if they have made a mistake in entering their PIN. After 3 failed attempts, it makes you wait 1 minute. After 4, it makes you wait 10 minutes. After 6, it makes you wait 20.

Why PINs are useful
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 user name and the password, they won't be able to access the items stored away in the account's bank. Because players have to click on the numbers instead of typing the numbers, a keylogger cannot easily obtain the PIN. 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 PC. 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.

Why PINs aren't fool proof
Bank PINs cannot protect against more advanced hacking software. Programs that take a screen shot every time you click 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 can't always prevent hacking, although they provide a decent additional layer of security.

Rule Three
Jagex has stated that "Asking for someone's bank PIN is just as serious as asking for an account password...Under no circumstances should you tell another player your password, PIN number or any other personal details of your account." Trying to get someone to tell you their bank PIN goes against Rule 3 - Password Scamming.

Good things to set a PIN as
Some of these things are told in the Stronghold of Security, while others are just helpful to know. Things not to have it as..... Your Birthday is one many users use but is not advised, be it your friend telling someone who found out your password or just you telling others about the upcoming event. Your real life PIN, and for sure the dumbest thing someone can do. If someone learns a way to hack into your runescape account via. Jagex's records you could lose a serious amount of REAL money, should they know that is what you set it as. A date that you have told your friends is very special to you such as when you had the greatest holiday you've ever had. Good things for a pin to be........... A friend, idol or relatives birthday. A password number that you use on a site totally unrelated to Runescape. The date that you started playing or heard of Runescape.(As long as you are sure that no-one else knows this.)