In plain English
It is a number kept private so other people do not know it. Someone uses it to check that a person is who they claim to be.
In context
There, PIN labels a required field for entering the secret number used to verify the person's identity.
- Situation
- Setting passwords, multifactor authentication, recovery codes, and trusted devices
- What it communicates
- labels a required setup field during device or security-key enrollment
Meaning limits
By itself, the term does not establish who verifies the number or any guaranteed result of that verification.
Examples
“To verify that he was the right person, Amir entered his PIN without saying the number aloud.”
“In the box marked PIN, she typed the number from memory.”