On March 10, Elon Musk asserted that the platform X (formerly known as Twitter) suffered a substantial cyberattack. He raised concerns about possible intentional targeting of the platform, which seemingly affected user access across multiple continents. Musk pointed an accusatory finger towards Ukraine, suggesting that the country might be behind the attack.
In his official announcement on the platform, Musk stated:
“There was (still is) a massive cyberattack against 𝕏. We get attacked every day, but this was done with a lot of resources. Either a large, coordinated group and/or a country is involved.”
The news quickly spread, leading to widespread reactions on social media. Many users took to Pop Base’s post about the incident, attributing the platform’s vulnerabilities to Musk’s previous workforce reductions. One critical user commented on the situation, suggesting that the attack was a direct consequence of the extensive layoffs that followed Musk’s acquisition of X.
“That’s cap, Twitter is just facing the consequences of firing so many employees with replacing them,” wrote one user.
Since Musk took control of X in 2022, reports indicate that layoffs have affected various departments, notably in engineering, product development, and content moderation.
Responses on social media varied. Some users argued this attack could not be random. One user remarked:
“Massive cyberattack on X-this isn’t random,” wrote another user.
“X marks the spot for hackers this time,” one user sarcastically wrote.
“Why do you all think it’s a conspiracy? The world doesn’t revolve around you,” responded yet another user.
Conversely, some users defended Musk, suggesting that attacks against him and his companies are unwarranted, emphasizing that X has shown signs of improvement:
“Attacks of any kind against Elon Musk, his companies, and users of his products should not be happening,” asserted a supporter.
“X seems to be doing better now,” noted another user.
“To what end? Did you save the USA’s vital information on your server?” innocently queried another.
Assessing Elon Musk’s Claims Regarding Ukraine’s Involvement
During the alleged cyberattack, users reported at least three significant disruptions to the X platform, impacting tens of thousands of users globally. Downdetector, a service dedicated to monitoring online outages, noted a surge in outage reports starting around 5:45 AM, quickly normalizing before another spike occurred later in the day, primarily affecting the mobile app.
Users in North America, Europe, and Asia experienced difficulties accessing the platform, often receiving an error message stating, “something went wrong.”Additionally, Musk referred to a related post from a DogeDesigner account, which suggested a connection between the cyberattack and previous protests directed at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“First, protests against DOGE. Then, Tesla stores were attacked. Now, 𝕏 is down. I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that this downtime is the result of an attack on 𝕏…”
Later in the day, Musk reiterated his suspicions in an interview with Fox Business, suggesting that attackers may have originated from Ukraine:
“We’re not sure exactly what happened but there was a massive cyber-attack to try and bring down the X system with IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area.”
Meanwhile, a report by Newsweek pointed to claims made by the pro-Palestinian hacking group Dark Storm Team, who allegedly accepted responsibility for the DDoS attack on X in a Telegram post. Musk concluded his statements by emphasizing that such an operation likely required considerable resources, indicating the involvement of either a nation-state or a well-organized entity.
As of now, inquiries sent to X for further comments on the situation have yet to receive a response.