Elon Musk's social media platform X (formerly Twitter) suffered multiple outages on Monday, which he attributed to a "massive cyberattack" originating from the "Ukraine area." Speaking with Larry Kudlow on Fox News, Musk claimed that the attack was well-resourced, suggesting the involvement of either a large, coordinated hacking group or even a nation-state. However, he did not provide technical details or evidence to substantiate this claim, leading cybersecurity experts to question his assertion. They pointed out that while denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks can be disruptive, they do not necessarily require significant resources and can often be carried out by relatively small groups or even individual hackers.
The pro-Palestinian hacker group Dark Storm Team later claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on its Telegram channel. The group is known for targeting countries and organizations that support Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Their involvement suggests that the attack may have been politically motivated, though no independent verification has yet confirmed their role.
Reports of service disruptions peaked at over 39,000 incidents, as tracked by Downdetector, before gradually decreasing throughout the day. A source within the internet infrastructure industry told Reuters that X was targeted by multiple waves of DDoS attacks, beginning at 9:45 UTC. These attacks work by overwhelming a website with rogue traffic, making it inaccessible to users. Despite their effectiveness in causing disruptions, DDoS attacks are generally not considered sophisticated cyber threats compared to malware intrusions or data breaches.
The incident comes amid growing tensions between Musk and Ukraine. In recent weeks, Musk has been vocal in his criticism of Ukraine’s war strategy, arguing that its military front lines would collapse without access to his Starlink satellite service. While he has assured that he will not revoke Starlink access, his comments have sparked backlash, with critics accusing him of undermining Ukraine's war effort. Some have also questioned his motivations, particularly given his past comments on seeking peace negotiations that favor Russia.
In response to criticism for not directing his ire at Russian President Vladimir Putin, Musk defended his position by referencing his past challenges to Putin, including an infamous suggestion that they should engage in one-on-one combat over the fate of Ukraine. He also reiterated his belief that the war has reached a bloody stalemate and that Ukraine is ultimately fighting a battle it cannot win.
The timing of the cyberattack and Musk’s recent statements has fueled speculation over whether the incident was linked to his geopolitical views. Some analysts suggest that, while the attack may have been politically motivated, there is no clear evidence tying it directly to Ukraine or any state-sponsored actor. Others argue that Musk’s public statements about Ukraine, as well as his involvement in U.S. politics—serving as an adviser to former President Donald Trump—make him a high-profile target for cyberattacks from various groups.
As X continues to recover from the outages, questions remain about the platform’s cybersecurity infrastructure and whether it is adequately prepared for future threats. Musk’s handling of the situation has also drawn scrutiny, with some observers criticizing his tendency to make broad claims without sufficient evidence, a pattern that has been seen in his past controversies involving Tesla, SpaceX, and his ventures in AI development.
