A large number of Google Images users on Aug. 26 faced a glitch in their searches -- a car crash in Russia was the only image that came up no matter what a search entailed.
While Google says the issue is an "internal matter," others are pushing the notion that the search company may have been hacked, causing the errors in searching.
Users across the globe reported having issues with their attempted searches. Apparently, the issue was widespread and hit all of Google's encrypted searches across myriad domains, including both Google.com and Google.co.uk.
However, a number of users also noted they were not having any issues with image searches and were not getting the car crash pictures. Some also said images of NBA basketball player Kevin Durant also appeared.
Google said in a statement: "Oops." The company has added that it is characterizing the problem as an accident and the issue has now been resolved and fixed.
"The least we could have done was show everyone micropigs instead," Google added.
While Google has remained quiet on what caused the issue, some observers and analysts believe it was a hacker who was able to get into the company's system and create new coding directing users to the car crash image.
The purported hack comes as the Department of Homeland Security has urged the retail sector to remain vigilant and upgrade their systems for fear of new malware that can get access to users' personal information, Tech Times reports.
The DHS said company servers may have security flaws that could see hackers take advantage and steal customers' personal and private data, including financial data.
Cybersecurity has quickly become one of the most important issues for the tech world since National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden came forward last year with information pertaining to a massive surveillance effort by the spy agency on American citizens.
But those who regularly use Google should not fear a hack, one analyst said.
"If hackers succeeding in compromising Google (and not in the stealthy way) they would likely tag the service with something more obvious and far less obscure," wrote the analyst. "I suspect a mistake was made and that a certain set of images were mass distributed as results unintentionally."
That could explain Google's almost humorous manner in which it responded to user frustration. Still, it highlights the ease at which issues can arise when dealing with the Internet.
