University of Wisconsin’s cybersecurity team is responding to hacked campus printers that began printing racist, anti-Semitic and anti-gay flyers Thursday, according to a UW statement.
At least 13 printers across campus were affected. The printers were open to receive print jobs from the Internet, allowing the attacker to send the hateful messages, John Lucas, UW spokesperson, said.
According to the statement, campus cybersecurity determined the flyers were sent from an outside source. Staff identified one of the IP addresses involved and have blocked it.
The attacker, Andrew Auernheimer, otherwise known by his online name Weev, targeted several universities across the United States, including Princeton University, Brown University and University of Southern California, Lucas said.
In the flyers, Auernheimer called for white men to join the “struggle for white supremacy” and referenced a neo-Nazi website titled “Total Fascism,” the Silicon Beat reported.
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Cybersecurity is currently working with campus IT administrators to reconfigure printers and equipment. UW printers that were open to the Internet have been identified and IT staff are working to secure network access to them.
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Dean of Students Lori Berquam said in a statement that though the flyers came from outside the UW community, the administration is glad they were reported.
“At Wisconsin, we value our diversity, in all of its forms, and are trying to create a safe and inclusive community for everyone,” Berquam said.