An influx of graphic images which depict pornography and extreme violence have flooded numerous Facebook users’ news feeds, reports suggest.
According to ZDNet, the content is being shared from a number of users’ accounts without their knowledge.
The user whose account was hijacked to distribute this content is reportedly unable to see what has been posted.
Facebook users have been complaining on Twitter about the sudden influx of this material. Most of the complaints have stemmed from the US, though users from other countries have also experienced it.
Currently, it is unclear how the material is being spread. Often, Facebook users are targeted with clickjacking scams, which lure users into clicking on a link which then gains permission to post content on their walls.
Some have speculated that people linked with the hacktivist group Anonymous were behind the attack. ‘Operation Facebook’ was set up recently, which aimed to take down Facebook on 5 November. However, Anonymous publicly distanced itself from the operation and nothing appeared to happen to Facebook on that day.
Others suggested that users of the image board 4Chan could be responsible, though the site has been hit with a DDoS attack for the past number of days.
“Facebook is aware of these reports and we are investigating the issue,” said a Facebook spokesperson.
