Anonymous Hoax Printouts on Campus

On Saturday, May 27, two threatening anonymous printouts, identified by the New York Police Department as part of an apparent citywide hoax by hackers, were found at the Manhattanville and Morningside campuses. Public Safety immediately undertook precautionary evacuations, and the NYPD bomb squad investigated and pronounced both areas safe.

By
EMOT
May 27, 2017

Public Safety and the Emergency Management Operations Team continue to coordinate with the NYPD. If the situation changes, we will update the community.

The NYPD reports that these printouts have appeared in several locations citywide at networked printers and fax machines. The anonymous notes threaten a non-specific bomb attack, for which any evidence is so far unfounded, unless a sum of money is paid by a deadline. The NYPD is coordinating with the FBI and other counter-terrorism agencies.

If you encounter a threatening printout at Columbia, please immediately call Public Safety: at Morningside and Manhattanville, 212-854-5555; and at CUMC, 212-305-7979. If you encounter one off campus, call 911.

If you have a small desktop printer or fax machine, please contact your local IT support and ask that they ensure your machines are on the secure network.

Again, we continue to monitor the situation, and if anything changes we will update the community.