The last few days have not been great for Republican Representative Lance Gooden of Texas.
He had a bit of an on air meltdown after being called out for lying.
Then the world taunted him on social media for his cellphone.
Not for the type of phone—don't worry, no ancient flip phone here—but rather his cellphone security skills.
Captured by cameras during the congressional testimony of Mark Zuckerberg, Gooden picked up his phone and entered his security code to open his phone?
Gooden's passcode?
Well, it was six digits long. Six identical digits long.
Depending on who you consult, Gooden either typed 777777 or 111111.
What's your passcode, Congressman? https://t.co/DOcN5DkM5o— Zack Whittaker (@Zack Whittaker)1571926053.0
@zackwhittaker @josephfcox https://t.co/lsEFU3Lb8L— Paul Ando (@Paul Ando)1571929559.0
He's already been turned into a gif.
And been roasted on Reddit.
Of course with all the permutations a six digit passcode presents, his phone is fairly secure.
Anyone who picks it up would have two whole options to choose from.
It's almost as secure as... 12345.
But Gooden is a busy man.
Complex passcodes take time.
Counterpoint: “123456” takes up too much time for such a busy policymaker https://t.co/4Z3gKCh8r3— Aki Peritz (@Aki Peritz)1571926991.0
People recalled a similar passcode observed on camera in Washington DC.
Kanye West—during his infamous Oval Office visit—revealed his all zero security code on camera.
@zackwhittaker Congresspeople are "special". :-) https://t.co/MPsl849rek— Victor Gevers (@Victor Gevers)1571931368.0
@0xDUDE @zackwhittaker Thankfully Kanye isn't a congressperson (yet... gulp)— Dylan Katz (@Dylan Katz)1572011783.0
@zackwhittaker https://t.co/aFWkTqdDF2— VampBracken 🦇 (@VampBracken 🦇)1571929973.0
Seriously, this guy and Kanye West are just begging for someone to hack into their phones. https://t.co/4xZLAPRc1W— Bradley P. Moss (@Bradley P. Moss)1571926522.0
But after it was pointed out, Gooden thought he'd make a joke about the situation.
Just another thing @kanyewest and I have in common. https://t.co/Vcffb2euxG— Lance Gooden (@Lance Gooden)1571929219.0
Gooden's joke went over about as well as a hippo trying to pole vault. 🦛
@Lancegooden @kanyewest you do realize you are a member of the US govt and we have very highly skilled adversaries… https://t.co/bQl35FWhyE— 🧛♂️🧟♀️ 0x7A69 🎃 travis 👻 0x2B21 🧟♂️🧛♀️ (@🧛♂️🧟♀️ 0x7A69 🎃 travis 👻 0x2B21 🧟♂️🧛♀️)1571933812.0
@Lancegooden @kanyewest if i'm not being clear congressman, you need to not just change your passcode, but get rid… https://t.co/cRiE2otM4M— 🧛♂️🧟♀️ 0x7A69 🎃 travis 👻 0x2B21 🧟♂️🧛♀️ (@🧛♂️🧟♀️ 0x7A69 🎃 travis 👻 0x2B21 🧟♂️🧛♀️)1571934304.0
where a republican congressman brags about having a super easy to crack smartphone passcode https://t.co/AuKuHMBUMD— Jack Morse (@Jack Morse)1571946448.0
@zackwhittaker The kind of personal security practices that leave one extraordinarily comfortable about such person… https://t.co/x7khfR4HiI— brian pillion (@brian pillion)1571942619.0
People pointed out this level of security is why a bunch of Republicans storming a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) with their cellphones—to protest the unfairness of 48 Republicans attending the various depositions in the SCIF—might be a security risk.
@zackwhittaker Was this Congressman a participant in yesterday's Mook Brothers Riot with his 77777 passcoded device inside the SCIF? WCGW?— Chuck Todd’s Optics (@Chuck Todd’s Optics)1571926733.0
@zackwhittaker "I just don't understand why it's such a big deal, so what a bunch of politicians ran up into a SCIF?!"— Viking 'Wannabe Chinese Man' Sec (@Viking 'Wannabe Chinese Man' Sec)1571934332.0
@Viking_Sec @zackwhittaker If they naruto run then they can dodge the ethics violations https://t.co/NowjScHKZf— Chase Dardaman (@Chase Dardaman)1571934668.0
@CharlesDardaman @Viking_Sec @zackwhittaker https://t.co/AhnMuLjQvW— Coleman Kane (@Coleman Kane)1571972765.0
@zackwhittaker This is one reason why storming a secure facility with your devices is a dumb idea.— Salaam Bhatti (@Salaam Bhatti)1571949297.0
Although, people guessed the President would approve.
@zackwhittaker Trump: "We have selected a new security adviser. He has tremendous skills"— Alessandro Chacón (@Alessandro Chacón)1571944770.0
@zackwhittaker CyberSeeCure— @protechsecure (@@protechsecure)1571976854.0
Gooden has reportedly changed his passcode.
The book Cybersecurity For Dummies is available here.