Bank PIN

"Pin" redirects here. For the item used in Crafting, see Needle.

A Bank PIN (short form for personal identification number) is a security feature that players can use to protect their banks and other sensitive areas of their accounts. It was introduced in the Bank PIN update on 19 September 2005. A small update on 15 February 2011 removed the delay when randomizing the numbers after each entry, which made entering your PIN slightly faster. After 6 hours your Bank PIN will reactivate, even if you don't log out.

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.

Entering a PIN

“	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.	”
— Rule 3 - Password Scamming Rules of RuneScape

Obtaining a bank PIN

Setting a bank PIN

To set 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. Once set, the bank PIN will take 7 days to be activated. The Bank PIN may also be cancelled before it is put to use.

If you have set up an external RuneScape Authenticator app for your game account, you will also have the option to use that as the PIN. The app will send a 6 digit authentication code that is always changing and would require that you have your phone with you. You still need to remember your 4 digit PIN as the authenticator does not work on some occasions.

Unlike the Authenticator, the PIN is game-specific. Having a PIN in RuneScape will not automatically set it in Old School RuneScape and vice versa.

Toggling the "Require PIN every login" setting.

By default, your PIN is remembered for 10 minutes upon logout. For best security practices, it is highly recommended to check the box within your gameplay settings to require a PIN every time you log in (see the image to the right).

Removing a bank PIN

To remove a bank PIN, simply talk to the Banker, click "I'd like to check my PIN settings", and then press "Delete PIN". For security reasons, there is a delay before the PIN is removed. It will take either 3 or 7 days to be removed, depending on what you have set as your recovery delay (this may be updated by clicking Change recovery delay in your Bank PIN settings). For maximum security, it is recommended to use the 7 day waiting period for PIN deletion.

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, and the numbers move around within their red boxes. This is 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 them to use the "cancel" option if they have made a mistake in entering their PIN. After another failed attempt the system locks the player out for 15 seconds. Once four fail attempts are made, the player must wait 10 minutes before trying again.

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 it is 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 unless you activate the bank pin setting on miscellaneous settings about using bank pin for dropping high valued items and accessing high risk areas such as wilderness. 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 hijacking 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 item loss as a result of hijacking, although they provide a decent additional layer of security. Fortunately, this weakness can be countered by running regular virus scans on your device, and being cautious of what websites you visit, or email links you click (see Suspicious Emails).

Choosing a PIN

A popup reminding players to get a bank 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.
• 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 in a National Insurance number (NINO) should not be used either, of the same reason.
• The last four digits of a telephone number - Someone might know this information.
• Pins such as 4,4,4,4 (4 same digits), 3,4,5,6 (4 digits in sequence) and 8,7,6,5 (in reverse sequence) cannot be used.

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 to add random numbers together.

Situations requiring a PIN

• Accessing the bank.
• Trading with another player.
• Trading at the Grand Exchange.
• Entering Building mode in a Player-owned house.
• Opening/searching stored items in a Player-owned house Costume Room or Menagerie.
• Accessing the Party Room chest.
• Accessing a player's Miscellania funds.
• Reclaiming an item from the Keepsake box.
• Trading with the Rewards trader in Daemonheim.
• Customising your Ring of kinship inside a dungeon in Daemonheim.
• Accessing the metal bank.
• Accessing the Money pouch.
• Accessing the Slayer points interface.
• Accessing the Members Loyalty Programme shop.
• Accessing parts of the Clan Citadel.
• Clan owners leaving their clan, demoting themselves or promoting deputies.
• Accessing the Customisation tab in the citadel interface.
• Changing a Character name using the hero's tab.
• Deploying a Challenge gem.
• Dropping coins or items on ground with a total value higher than 500,000 coins (if the bank PIN setting for this feature is activated).
• Entering high risk areas such Wilderness, Crucible, Clan Wars red portals, and others (if the bank PIN setting for this feature is activated).
• Destroying a completionist cape.
• Accessing machine interfaces in the Invention Guild.
• Accessing hidey-holes.
• Accessing a material storage container.
• Turning in restored Archaeology artefacts to a collector.

Update history

This information has been compiled as part of the update history project. Some updates may not be included – see here for how to help out!

• patch 14 June 2021 (Update):
  • Players are now required to enter their Bank PIN if accessing the Marketplace through the lobby.

• patch 4 May 2021 (Update):
  • Bank Pins are now required to open the Oddments Store.

• patch 21 October 2019 (Update):
  • Fixed an issue where the user wasn't being asked for a bank pin while trying to add/remove pickaxe from the tool belt.

• patch 21 January 2019 (Update):
  • Accessing any functionality with the metal bank, aside from depositing, will now require a bank pin.

• patch 15 January 2018 (Update):
  • The authenticator bank pin will now consistently lock certain features of the game under specific circumstances.

• ninja 25 September 2017 (Update):
  • Updated the Bank PIN interface to be more in line with the visual style of other interfaces.

• ninja 17 July 2017 (Update):
  • The purple Clan Wars portal and staked duels have been added to the high-risk area entry bank PIN toggle.

• ninja 29 February 2016 (Update):
  • Players now have a few minutes’ grace period when logging out where they won't be prompted for their bank pin upon logging back in, including when switching worlds. This functionality can be toggled off in the Miscellaneous settings interface in the Game Settings window.

• ninja 25 January 2016 (Update):
  • Added bank pin protection to the clan permission and clan settings interfaces.

• ninja 18 January 2016 (Update):
  • The high risk area bank PIN toggle now checks for more ways to enter the Wilderness.

• patch 8 December 2014 (Update):
  • Lady Ithell now has a bank PIN on the crystal seed storage.

• ninja 17 December 2013 (Update):
  • Players are now prompted for their bank pin before opening a trade window.

• patch 10 September 2013 (Update):
  • Updated the sound effects for all bank PIN interaction.

• patch 3 July 2013 (Update):
  • Players will now be prompted for their bank PIN before trying to leave their clan.

• patch 18 February 2013 (Update):
  • Special pets no longer remove the players inventory panel if they fail to enter their Bank PIN.

• patch 5 February 2013 (Update):
  • Entering your bank PIN at a shop no longer interrupts the flow of the purchase.

• patch 15 February 2011 (Update):
  • This system has had a major overhaul, making it slightly faster and safer to use.

Trivia

• When prompted to enter your bank PIN at a Clan Citadel, the system is called the 'Citadel Security System'.
• When the interface asks you to enter the fourth digit, it may become the third digit then fourth digit again if the player has a high ping.
• The interface had a graphical update on the 25 September 2017.