The 'hunter2' meme originates from a classic chat log on Bash.org, a famous archive of IRC conversations. In the transcript, one user tricks another into believing that IRC automatically censors passwords by displaying them as asterisks to other users. The victim then types 'hunter2' to test it, inadvertently revealing their actual password to the entire chat room while the prankster continues to joke that all they see is '*******'. Since its emergence in the early 2000s, 'hunter2' has become the universal internet shorthand for password security gaffes, gullibility, and a nostalgic nod to old-school chatroom culture.