Four embarrassing password leaks on live TV

When French TV Network TV5Monde suffered a cyber attack that posted obscene messages across some of its social media channels and forced it to take 11 television channels off air, it was hard to imagine how things could get any worse.

Shortly after the attack, however, it was discovered that passwords for the TV network’s social media accounts were broadcast in an interview filmed in the network’s offices.

This has encouraged me to put together a short list of similar embarrassing password leaks.

TV5Monde

I’d be a fool not to start with this one. In an interview with French news program 13 Heures, a TV5Monde reporter inadvertently revealed passwords for the station’s social media presence. This happened when he was filmed in front of a desk that was plastered with sticky notes and index cards full of usernames and passwords.

Thankfully, only one password is readable, and that’s the YouTube account. The password was “lemotdepassedeyoutube,” which translates in English to “the password of YouTube.”

I wonder what their Twitter password was.

Brazil 2014 World Cup

This is Luiz Cravo Dorea, the head of international cooperation at Brazil’s Federal Police, inside the multi-million dollar security centre used to monitor cameras at last summer’s Fifa World Cup. Proud moment for Luiz?

Nope.

That unmissable red ring is circling the password for the security centre’s Wi-Fi. The password was “b5a2112014” – leet speak for Brazil 2014. The next password will be “ru551a2018”. You heard it here first.

Super Bowl XLVIII

One of the biggest sporting events of the year in the USA last year caught my attention. Not because of the 15 hours of men running at each other, but the fact that the credentials for the stadium’s wireless network were displayed on live TV.

It’s thought that the leaked Wi-Fi network is reserved for press and other services at the stadium. The leaked credentials soon made their way around the web and thousands of people at the game likely had them. It’s unclear if the credentials were changed prior to kick-off or if they remained the same.

UK weather emergency

England was hit hard with floods and heavy winds in February 2014, keeping emergency services running around the clock.

This man, Simon Parker, is an emergency planner who was interviewed on Sky Ne… oh, wait, yep, that’s a password.

Lessons learned:

1. If you’re going to allow TV cameras into your office, don’t have your password information on display for all to read.
2. Even if you’re not going to allow TV cameras into your office, don’t have your password information on display for all to read.