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> Strong PIN, not biometrics

And also be aware of "shoulder surfing", which is different today in 2 ways it wasn't in the past.

In the past, the risk was something like someone looking at you type in your PIN on a bank ATM, or maybe your password on an computer keyboard.

Today, shoulder surfing is mainly different in 2 ways: (1) near-ubiquitous high-resolution surveillance camera networks, which can be places/scale and capture images that humans practically didn't; and (2) with machine learning, they don't even need to see what buttons you press, only see movements of your arm.

(Randomizing button positions on a touchscreen can help, and also help fight forensics like traces your fingers leave for where they touch. But randomization means you need to be able to see your screen, which reduces the ways you have to hide your screen from the view of others.)



In addition to surveillance cameras and video of movement, AI can also determine what keys your pressing on a keyboard of an airgapped computer, merely by the sounds you make when you type


Shoulder surfing is exactly the risk factor that biometrics are meant to mitigate.

Every time you type your PIN - that's an opportunity to snoop it.

Neither will protect you against rubber hose cryptography.




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