Security tip: When being interviewed on TV, make sure passwords aren’t written behind you

What’s wrong with this picture?

Screen capture from TV sports programme. What's that behind him?

It’s just a photo of a man being interviewed on ESPN about baseball. Harmless, right?

Let’s take a closer look.

Sign up to our free newsletter.
Security news, advice, and tips.

Uh-oh. Passwords

Whoops.

Okay, so I’m guessing that the interview was done in a press room, and that the passwords are on the wall for the convenience of journalists who wish to file copy and post updates online – but it still seems a little sloppy to have WiFi passwords so blatantly visible in the background during a TV interview!

Hat-tip: @ryannaraine via @KimZetter


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 "The AI Fix" and "Smashing Security" podcasts. Follow him on Bluesky and Mastodon, or drop him an email.

What do you think? Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.