Nov. 13, Facebook experienced a widespread virus that resulted in the posting of adult and violent images on newsfeeds throughout the social network. Facebook users watched in horror as an innocent click became an unstoppable series of wall posts that spread like a virus.

“It was a simple bot that led to a website that compromised more Facebook accounts, repeating the process until it got shut down,” explained senior Trevor Andersen. He described it as a “mundane” hack, notable only for the malicious content.

Facebook spam is not uncommon. According to the New York Daily, Facebook is attacked by hackers about 600,000 times a day. These usually appear as tags or linked wall posts. When clicked, the hackers hijack the account and create wall posts on friends’ profiles to further spread the spam.

“I once clicked on a picture that [I was tagged in] and it made me tag all of my friends,” said junior Bailey Amstrup. “It was a little scary, I kept thinking ‘Delete! Delete!’”

The safety of personal information on social networking sites has long been debated. “Facebook has never been known for its security,” said Andersen. Skilled hackers and identity thieves can easily compile a great deal of information by analyzing information on various social networks and emails. And any time something happens on the Internet, it can never be completely deleted. It is always saved in some data form.

“I try not to put too much personal information on Facebook just for that reason,” said junior Taylor Andersen-Beaver. “I think it’s a breach in privacy that these people can hack into and take control [of your profile].”

“I think if someone really wanted to, they could hack it at any time they want,” said sophomore Allen Leudeman.

However, freshman Andy Cornell disagrees. He said that he trusts Facebook’s security and that, “[the hack] was inevitable.” In fact, only about 5 percent of Facebook activity includes spam, a small amount compared to about 74 percent of email, according to Firstpost Technology.

No group has taken credit for the hack, but there is speculation that the “hacktivist” group Anonymous is responsible. The group publicly threatened to take down Facebook on Nov. 5 in honor of Guy Fawkes Day. The group put out a statement on Youtube that said, “join the cause and kill Facebook for the sake of your own privacy.”

“Everything you put on Facebook stays on Facebook,” said Anonymous’s message, no matter what your privacy settings. The group claimed that Facebook is selling its users’ personal information to government agencies and authoritarian groups throughout the world.

Facebook’s official page denied any involvement in this. Information is shared so freely on the site that spokesman Barry Schnitt told Bloomberg Businessweek that the company had no intentions of violating the trust users have.

However, the purpose of this hack was not to destroy Facebook entirely. Andersen doesn’t believe that Anonymous is to blame for the hack. “If Anonymous turns its eye to Facebook, something much bigger than a little hack will result,” he said. “This was small compared to what could have happened.”

On the contrary, this hack seems to be only for the purpose of defacement, which is also the intent of 24 percent of reported hacks, according to getsafeonlineblog.org. In comparison, 19 percent of hacks are for the purpose of stealing personal information.

In the meantime, Facebook moderators are working to remove the virus and associated links. In a recent statement, they declared that, “protecting the people who use Facebook from spam and malicious content is a top priority.”

Maddie Mayhew is the Online Editor for The Spartan Speaks