In a Fox 25 news segment, anchors Vanessa and Erica Ricci report that hate‑filled, racist and anti‑Semitic flyers were printed from networked printers and fax machines at Northeastern University and UMass Amherst. The flyers, described as offensive and generated off‑campus by a hate group, prompted swift action from the universities' IT security teams, who resolved the issue and notified students via email. Chancellor of UMass condemned the incident, calling it a cowardly act. Security expert Robert Siciliano of Hotspot Shield explains that any device with an IP address—such as wireless printers—can be compromised if vulnerabilities exist, and that attackers may have bypassed firewalls to gain unlimited access. The segment includes reactions from a student speaker expressing outrage and highlights the broader concern about campus safety and the need for vigilance against such cyber‑enabled hate attacks.
Tonight, hate-filled racist messages are being spread across several of the state's major colleges. New at 10, Fox 25's Erica Ricci is live at Northeastern University. And Erica, these messages are showing up on school printers.
Yeah, that's right, Vanessa. You don't often think about printers being hacked, but really anything with an IP address is subject to compromise. So that looks like your mobile devices, your video baby monitors, even your Fitbit. Here at Northeastern though, and across the Commonwealth at UMass Amherst, it was the printers and the fax machines today. But both schools acted very quickly to shield the students from bearing the brunt of it. I'm kind of offended. I didn't know about this before. We were the ones who broke the news to Northeastern students tonight about the hate-filled flyers pouring out of the school's printers and fax machines today. The university told us via email its IT security experts resolved the issue quickly. But the fact that they showed up at all is puzzling to students here.
I don't understand what that accomplishes. I really don't understand why these things still go on. It should really stop. It's really offensive to everyone.
The flyers showed up on printers and fax machines at UMass Amherst this morning as well. That school describes the content as racist, anti-Semitic, and hate-filled. The chancellor says they were generated off campus by what appears to be a hate group. He then had some words of his own about the flyers, saying, quote, we condemn this cowardly and hateful act. This despicable incident reminds us that we must not be complacent as we continue to strive for a society that embraces diversity, inclusion, and equity. A society where everyone feels safe and welcome. But how do such prominent institutions become the victims of hackers? Here's security expert Robert Siciliano of Hotspot Shield.
Anything with an IP address, uh, can be accessed, and if there are vulnerabilities in that device, then yes, in fact, they can be hacked.
That includes wireless printers, and that means if anyone from anywhere can get past the device's firewalls, they can have unlimited access to the system. How the hackers got past the firewall is all part of the ongoing investigation, but Siciliano offers a possibility.
The printers and the fax machines may be on a separate system than other, maybe more critical assets.
And of course, for safety reasons, neither school could talk to that point there. Here at Northeastern though, this does appear to be an isolated incident. We can tell you that. At UMass Amherst though, this comes on the heels of other instances of hate speech.
