Hacker Sends Hate-Filled Flyers To UMd. Printers

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Another major computer hack. Flyers filled with hate turn up on printers at the University of Maryland in College Park. A hacker says he activated the printers remotely.

Meghan McCorkell has more on the person responsible, and how it happened.

University police are investigating how someone got access to their printer network.

A hate-filled flyer turned up on printers and fax machines across the College Park campus last week.

"My boss, she actually got word from someone downstairs that there was something in the printer," one student said.

"I feel like America is in a cultural decline," alleged hacker Andrew Auernheimer said in a YouTube video.

Now, well-known computer hacker Andrew Auernheimer is taking credit for the flyers, saying he used remote access to activate public printers.

Maryland is not the only school he managed to get into.

USC, University of Wisconsin, U-Mass Amherst, Brown and Princeton are just some of the other schools that also received the messages.

Officials at the University of Maryland have condemned the flyers and say security measures are being taken to protect the school's printer network.

Maiya Chard-Yaron with Maryland Hillel, which serves thousands of Jewish students on the Maryland campus, spoke to WJZ by phone.

"I certainly hope the issue is addressed and that this isn't an issue ever again," she said.

But students WJZ talked with say they are concerned about what this means for the school's network security.

"We don't really know if they can have access to our information or other stuff like that," said Yasmin Abdi.

"It just blows my mind that people have the capabilities of doing that and why would they do that?" said Okeze Nwofor.

The university investigation is ongoing.

While police are investigating, it's unclear if any laws were actually broken.

Auernheimer was convicted of identity fraud and conspiracy for computer hacking back in 2010, but his conviction was overturned.