Hacked TV channel reveals passwords

A FRENCH television network targeted in a sophisticated cyber-attack by pro-Islamic State hackers has suffered an embarrassing online security lapse after giving away some of its passwords on live TV.

TV5Monde was taken off air on Wednesday by attackers who infiltrated the group's systems and hijacked its social media accounts.

In a TV news report broadcast on France 2 the following day, a journalist for TV5Monde is seen giving an interview in an office, in front of a glass panel where several pieces of paper are attached showing the usernames and passwords of the channel's accounts on YouTube and the photo-sharing site Instagram.

The website Arrêt sur Images, which spotted the mistake, says the YouTube password at the time appeared to be "lemotdepassedeyoutube".

TV5Monde's digital director said: "The TV channels were off, the internal messaging system and e-mail weren't working. We had to put the passwords up temporarily on the office walls so journalists could do their job."

Channel management say the codes were not displayed prominently in the office before the cyber-attack - and there is no connection between the two incidents.

The broadcaster has managed to resume output on all of its 11 channels, after the "unprecedented" attack which had "severely damaged" its systems.