The Wi-Fi network name and password for the security center at the World Cup were accidentally leaked online by a newspaper, and rapidly spread on social media, being retweeted more than 2,000 times, according to The Register’s report.
The picture showed the head of the competition’s Center for International Police Cooperation, Luiz Dorea, standing in front of a bank of in the multi-million-dollar security center overseen by Israeli company Risco. It was published by local outlet Correio Braziliense - the article (minus offending picture) can be seen here.
Dorea is responsible for coordinating the efforts of 205 police agents from 35 countries, whose duties include the protection of “Presidents, princes and sheikhs”.
The password - a spelling variation on “Brazil 2014” was clearly visible in the background in the newspaper’s picture, as was the network SSID, both of which appeared on screens used to survey feeds from surveillance cameras around the World Cup venues.
The Wi-Fi password was Tweeted by researcher Augusto Barros, a Brazilian living in Canada.
Barros Tweeted, “Wanna know the pwd for the Brasil world cup security center WiFi nw? It's on the whiteboard ;-) #fail”
The newspaper rapidly removed the larger picture, settling for a closer portrait shot of Dorea, sitting at a desk with no passwords in sight. It is not known whether the password has been changed, but the speedy reaction of the newspaper suggests that the blunder may have come to the attention of the staff in the Center also.
