000000 is Kanye West’s iPhone passcode

So, Kanye West had a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House because… well, because 2018, I guess.

The shy and retiring Kanye West had quite a lot to say, leaving even Mr Trump speechless for a while.

It was all rather strange, but what is most relevant to this website is the moment when Kanye West unlocked his iPhone X, in full sight of the world’s media.

Kanye West, it appears, doesn’t use Apple’s Face ID biometric feature – but instead believes in staying “old school”, using a six-digit passcode.

And, according to the cameras, the passcode chosen by the millionaire rapper is “000000”.

That next-level password for Kanye. pic.twitter.com/n6Lly2JC4s

— Michael Gallagher (@MikeSGallagher) October 11, 2018

A few thoughts:

• “000000” is not a strong passcode.
• In fact, it’s a terrible passcode. Back when most iPhone users’ passcodes were only four digits long, a researcher discovered “0000” was the second most common passcode, coming second only to “1234”. I don’t think adding two more zeroes is likely to have reduced its popularity.
• iOS itself actually warns you if you choose “000000” as your passcode, and suggests you choose a better passcode.

• You would have to be an idiot or unbelievably arrogant to ignore that advice.
• Or both.
• Furthermore, it’s not a good idea to type your smartphone’s passcode or passphrase when someone is watching.
• It’s an even worse idea to do it when the world’s media are watching.
• You should probably enable Touch ID or Face ID if your iPhone supports it.

Of course, lots of people are having fun about Kanye West’s weak iPhone passcode, but does it really matter? After all, it’s not likely most of us are ever likely to gain physicial access to his smartphone.

Well, yes… maybe it does matter. Because if Kanye West has chosen such a God-awful passcode for his smartphone, what are the chances he might be using something equally daft (or maybe even “000000” again?) for his online accounts?

Would anyone be prepared to bet against mischievous hackers trying to break into some of his online accounts with predictable, easy-to-crack passwords right now?

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Graham Cluley •   @gcluley

Graham Cluley is an award-winning keynote speaker who has given presentations around the world about cybersecurity, hackers, and online privacy. A veteran of the computer security industry since the early 1990s, he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows, makes regular media appearances, and is the co-host of the popular "Smashing Security" podcast. Follow him on Twitter, Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, or drop him an email.