The Guccifer meme stems from the high-profile hacking persona first used by Romanian hacker Marcel Lazăr Lehel and later popularized by the 'Guccifer 2.0' persona during the 2016 US election leaks. While the origins are rooted in international cyber-espionage and political scandal, the internet quickly adopted the imagery of the mysterious, hooded hacker to represent anyone performing basic technical tasks or 'hacking' everyday life situations. It is commonly used to poke fun at self-proclaimed tech experts, the exaggerated tropes of hacking in movies, and the surprising digital secrets uncovered through leaks.