WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN...
Passwords, passkeys, passcodes and PINs?
Q A four-digit passcode has 10,000 variations (zero to nine, to the power of four). A four-letter password has A to Z to the power of four, or 456,976 variations. Why is there so much pressure to adopt the less-secure option?
John Clarke
A We wonder if you’remixing up passcodes with passkeys. It’s an easy mistake to make, not least because the names sound so similar.
With that clear, the fundamental difference between passwords, passkeys and PINs (which you referred to as passcodes) lies in what they protect and where they’re stored. A traditional password is associated with an account. If you have a Microsoft account, for example, you can use your password to access your account and online services on any device.