Edward Snowden Schools John Oliver on His ‘Embarrassingly Bad’ Password (Video)

“admiralalonzoghostpenis420YOLO” is an example of a password the NSA whistleblower thinks is “pretty good”

April 9, 2015 @ 10:14 AM

Edward Snowden schooled “Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver in the art of crafting an unbreakable password in a new web exclusive HBO released on Thursday.

“For someone who has a very common eight-character password, it can literally take less than a second for a computer to go through the possibilities and pull that password out,” Snowden says in the extension of an interview that aired on Sunday. “I think the best advice here is to shift your thinking from passwords to passphrases.”

“Think about a common phrase that works for you that’s too long to brute-force, and also make them unlikely to be in the dictionary,” Snowden added.

Oliver’s solution to his own “embarrassingly bad” password? “Admiralalonzoghostpenis420YOLO.”

“That’s pretty good,” Snowden said. “It’s memorable, too.”

Despite the productive conversation from which every viewer can learn a thing or two in regards to protecting their privacy, Oliver voiced the thought that the majority of viewers are likely thinking.

“I get how important it is. I fully understand that. The problem is, I’m not gonna do it,” Oliver said. “Because it seems hard, even though I know it isn’t.”

Watch the video.

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