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Think twice: Steps to better secure your iPhone

By WTOP Staff

WASHINGTON – So you got an iPhone for Christmas. Now what?

Well, besides taking a trip to the “App Store,” owners may want to rethink their security PIN.

TechCrunch reports the four-digit PIN actually provides clues for phone thieves, thanks to the naturally occurring oils on our fingers.

TechCrunch points out that iPhone users can see where the light catches the oil residue on their phone, matching the four numbers that make up their personal PINs.

If the thief knows the four numbers used, the chances of figuring out the PIN drops from 10,000 to 24.

Citing advice from Skeleton Key Security, TechCrunch recommends using one of the numbers twice.

This increases the number of permutations from 24 to 36, which may help if you’ve capped the number of times a user can guess the PIN before the phone is locked down.

To read more about securing your iPhone, follow this link

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Emergency guide: What you should do to prepare for emergencies

By WTOP Staff
WASHINGTON — Do you know what you'd do if an emergency hits? What if you're at work, your spouse is stuck in traffic and your children are in school? There's no way to plan for every emergency, but you can make sure you're prepared for different scenarios, including making a plan for your family and building a kit of emergency supplies.
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