Facebook resolves spam that flooded news feeds with porn and violent images

Facebook says it has resolved had a spam attack that reportedly flooded users' news feeds with hard-core pornography and violent and obscene images.

The company cited a "browser vulnerability" that allowed hackers to post graphic images to users accounts. 

A Facebook spokeswoman told Computerworld that its security team has identified "many of the actors responsible." 

The social network's lawyers were involved and were working on an "appropriate action." 

Facebook was also setting up "educational checkpoints" to make sure that users know how to identify potential scams.

Meanwhile, the company urged its 800 million-plus users to "remain vigilant to keep their accounts from being hijacked," The Associated Press reported.

On Tuesday, Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at antivirus vendor Sophos, told the website that: "For the last 24 hours, many people have reported seeing highly-offensive images on their Facebook news feeds."

In an instructive story on how to protect yourself from Facebook spam, The Washington Post urged users:

1. simply not to click on suspicious things. "Whether it’s an offer for a free cup of coffee or a free iPad, be extremely wary about what you agree to like or join. And never paste lines of code into your browser bars, no matter how great the offer seems."
2. if you get a message that asks you to click on a link "double-check with your friend to make sure they know they sent it." Most of these, the Post according to the Post, are scams.
3. consider turning https browsing on in your Facebook settings. "It limits your access to some content and can be a bit annoying but it’s worth it to avoid getting taken in by spammers."