Weev

For the disease abbreviated "WEEV", see Western equine encephalitis virus.
weev
weev in 2010
Born
Andrew Alan Escher Auernheimer

1985 (age 38–39)[1]
Fayetteville, Arkansas, U.S.
OccupationHacker
Known forNeo-Nazism, hacktivism,[2] alt-right activism

Andrew Alan Escher Auernheimer[3] (/ˈɔːrənhaɪmər/ OR-ən-hy-mər;[4] born 1985 (1985)), best known by his pseudonym weev, is an American computer hacker[5][6] and professional[7][8] Internet troll.[2][9][10][11] Affiliated with the alt-right, he has been described as a neo-Nazi, white supremacist, and antisemitic conspiracy theorist.[12] He has used many aliases when he has contacted the media, but most sources state that his real first name is Andrew.[11][13]

As a member of the hacker group Goatse Security, Auernheimer exposed a flaw in AT&T's security that compromised the e-mail addresses of iPad users. When it revealed the flaw to the media, the group also exposed the personal data of over 100,000 people, which led to a criminal investigation and an indictment for identity fraud and conspiracy. Auernheimer was sentenced to serve 41 months in a federal prison, of which he served approximately 13 months before his conviction was vacated by a higher court.

In 2016, Auernheimer was responsible for sending thousands of white-supremacist flyers to unsecured web-connected printers at multiple universities and other locations in the U.S. Since his release from prison, he has lived in several countries in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.[14] In 2016, he told an interviewer that he was living in Kharkiv.[15] In 2017, it was reported that he was acting as webmaster for the neo-Nazi website The Daily Stormer.[16][17] The Southern Poverty Law Center describes him as "a neo-Nazi white supremacist"[9] known for "extremely violent rhetoric advocating genocide of non-whites".[1]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference SPLC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b McVeigh, Karen (January 24, 2013). "Hacktivists cry foul over US government's 'ludicrous' cyber crackdown". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  3. ^ Wallworth, Adam (January 19, 2011). "Fayetteville man charged in e-mail scam". NWA Online. NWA Media. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  4. ^ Voigt, Kurt (January 21, 2011). "No bail for 2nd iPad e-mail address theft suspect". MSNBC.com. Associated Press. Retrieved February 15, 2011.[dead link‍]
  5. ^ John Leyden (July 7, 2010). "AT&T iPad 'hacker' breaks gag order to rant at cops". The Register. Archived from the original on August 27, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  6. ^ Curtis, Sophie (April 29, 2015). "Unmasked: the six hacker 'tribes' you need to avoid". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  7. ^ McCullagh, Declan (March 18, 2013). "AT&T 'hacker' and Internet troll sentenced to over three years". CNET. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ Greenfield, Rebecca (March 18, 2013). "Hacker 'Weev' Gets Three Years in Jail, Just for Being an Internet Troll". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ^ a b Wall, Jacob T. (2018–2019). "Where to Prosecute Cybercrimes". Duke Law & Technology Review. 17: 146–161, 147–148. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  10. ^ McCarthy, Tom (April 11, 2014). "Andrew Auernheimer's conviction over computer fraud thrown out". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Mills, Elinor (June 10, 2010). "Hacker defends going public with AT&T's iPad data breach (Q&A)". CNET. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  12. ^ "From Alt Right to Alt Lite: Naming the Hate". New York, N.Y.: Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2018. Andrew Auernheimer aka Weev is a white supremacist and an anti-Semite, as well as a notorious American hacker and an online troll [...] Auernheimer writes for the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer website
  13. ^ Mills, Elinor (June 15, 2010). "Hacker in AT&T-iPad Security Case Arrested". CBS News.
  14. ^ "'weev' in Beirut: I can't go home until 'most of the agents of the federal government are dead'". PandoDaily. November 21, 2014. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  15. ^ Ludlow, Peter. "Interview with alt-right Pepemancer and Kek/Trump supporter, weev". The Alphaville Herald. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference Windolf was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ O'Brien, Luke (December 2017). "The Making of an American Nazi". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2021.