How is Windows Hello Sign-In with a PIN, More Secure Than a Password?

Add PIN to Account in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to add the Windows Hello PIN sign-in option to your account in Windows 11. Windows Hello is a more personal, more secure way to get instant access to your Windows 11 devices using a PIN, facial recognition, or fingerprint. You'll need to set up a PIN as part of...

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• PIN is tied to the device
  One important difference between a password and a Hello PIN is that the PIN is tied to the specific device on which it was set up. That PIN is useless to anyone without that specific hardware. Someone who steals your password can sign in to your account from anywhere, but if they steal your PIN, they'd have to steal your physical device too!
  
  Even you can't use that PIN anywhere except on that specific device. If you want to sign in on multiple devices, you have to set up Hello on each device.
• PIN is local to the device
  A password is transmitted to the server -- it can be intercepted in transmission or stolen from a server. A PIN is local to the device -- it isn't transmitted anywhere and it isn't stored on the server. When the PIN is created, it establishes a trusted relationship with the identity provider and creates an asymmetric key pair that is used for authentication. When you enter your PIN, it unlocks the authentication key and uses the key to sign the request that is sent to the authenticating server.
• PIN is backed by hardware
  The Hello PIN is backed by a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip, which is a secure crypto-processor that is designed to carry out cryptographic operations. The chip includes multiple physical security mechanisms to make it tamper resistant, and malicious software is unable to tamper with the security functions of the TPM. All Windows 10 Mobile phones and many modern laptops have TPM.
  
  User key material is generated and available within the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) of the user device, which protects it from attackers who want to capture the key material and reuse it. Because Hello uses asymmetric key pairs, users credentials can't be stolen in cases where the identity provider or websites the user accesses have been compromised.
  
  The TPM protects against a variety of known and potential attacks, including PIN brute-force attacks. After too many incorrect guesses, the device is locked.
• PIN can be complex
  The Windows Hello for Business PIN is subject to the same set of IT management policies as a password, such as complexity, length, expiration, and history. Although we generally think of a PIN as a simple four-digit code, administrators can set policies for managed devices to require a PIN complexity similar to a password. You can require or block: special characters, uppercase characters, lowercase characters, and digits.
• What if someone steals the laptop or phone?
  To compromise a Windows Hello credential that TPM protects, an attacker must have access to the physical device, and then must find a way to spoof the user's biometrics or guess his or her PIN—and all of this must be done before TPM anti-hammering protection locks the device. You can provide additional protection for laptops that don't have TPM by enabling BitLocker and setting a policy to limit failed sign-ins.
• Why do you need a PIN to use biometrics?
  Windows Hello enables biometric sign-in for Windows 11: fingerprint, iris, or facial recognition. When you set up Windows Hello, you're asked to create a PIN first. This PIN enables you to sign in using the PIN when you can't use your preferred biometric because of an injury or because the sensor is unavailable or not working properly.
  
  If you only had a biometric sign-in configured and, for any reason, were unable to use that method to sign in, you would have to sign in using your account and password, which doesn't provide you the same level of protection as Hello.

sdowney717 said:

Once someone has physical possession, they don't need the pin to access your hard drive. Drive can be removed and browsed from another computer.
And perhaps another type of OS if needed to view files.

And a new or wiped drive frees the device to be used again.

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ilovehorses34 said:

Windows Version: 22H2

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D4ni3l said:

Microsoft faq "The Hello PIN is backed by a Trusted Platform Module (TPM)"

Just tested
I have disabled TPM in the Bios and "Windows Hello PIN" still works

View attachment 150824

PS: I understand: Hello PIN do not use TPM on Windows 10
source: windows-hello-no-tpm-no-security-on-windows-10

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FrancoDT said:

I use a PIN as well as Windows Hello Camera's on two machines but I just can't let go of the password as a backup. To many times while troubleshooting or with boot issues I've had the PIN get disabled and the only way to login is with a password.

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TraderGary said:

You get 8 total tries. After that the PIN is disabled until a Restart.

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NormanF said:

A PIN is numerical. A password is a combination of letters, numbers and special characters.

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