The 'Cheeto Lock' meme features a close-up photograph of a puffed Cheeto snack being used to secure a door or a padlock, serving as a hilarious visual metaphor for incredibly weak security measures. It first gained traction on social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit as a way to mock poor cybersecurity habits, such as using easily guessable passwords or ignoring obvious vulnerabilities. Over time, the meme evolved beyond tech to represent any situation where a defense is purely cosmetic or laughably ineffective—from emotional boundaries to physical barriers. Its popularity stems from the absurdity of using a brittle, orange snack as a functional piece of hardware, making it a go-to template for calling out 'low effort' solutions to serious problems.