Social Media Platform X Faces Global Disruptions Amid Alleged Cyberattack
Elon Musk has blamed a “massive cyberattack” for widespread outages on X (formerly Twitter) that affected users worldwide on Monday. The disruptions, which prevented posts from loading, were reported across the United States, United Kingdom, France, India, and several other countries.
Musk Alleges Coordinated Cyberattack
Users began reporting issues on Monday, with outages peaking at over 41,000 cases, according to Downdetector. The service disruptions lasted only a few minutes at a time but occurred multiple times throughout the day.
Musk later addressed the incident on X, stating, “We get attacked every day, but this was done with a lot of resources.” He further claimed in an interview with Fox Business that the cyberattack was linked to IP addresses originating from the “Ukraine area,” though no concrete evidence was provided.
Hacktivist Group Claims Responsibility
Dark Storm, a pro-Palestinian hacktivist group, took credit for the attack on its Telegram page. The group alleged that the attack was part of a broader cyber effort against Israel. However, they have yet to provide proof linking them to the disruptions.
A source familiar with the investigation confirmed that a cyberattack caused the disruption, but it does not appear to be a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. The inquiry is still ongoing.
X Remains Silent on the Outage
Despite repeated requests, X has not provided an official response regarding the cause of the outage. Cybersecurity experts caution that determining the exact source of such attacks can be challenging, as perpetrators often use techniques to mask their locations.
This is not the first time Musk has cited a cyberattack for disruptions on X. Last year, he blamed a “massive” DDoS attack for delaying a live conversation with former U.S. President Donald Trump on the platform.
What’s Next for X?
As cyberattacks become more sophisticated, X may need to strengthen its cybersecurity measures to prevent future disruptions. With Musk at the helm, the platform remains under scrutiny, both for its security practices and the transparency of its communications during major outages.
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