Elon Musk has revealed that a massive cyberattack targeted his social media platform, X. He suggested the attack originated from Ukraine.
The site experienced widespread outages on Monday. Many users reported difficulties accessing the platform throughout the day.
Musk addresses the cyberattack and x outage
During an interview with Fox Business Network, Musk acknowledged the issue.
“We’re not exactly sure what happened,” he said. “But there was a massive cyberattack to bring down the X system. The IP addresses originated from the Ukraine area.”
Earlier in the day, Musk confirmed that X was under attack.
He also assured users that the platform was back online after engineers worked to resolve the issue. Reports indicate that X had been down since 5:30 a.m. ET.
Musk suspects a coordinated attack on X
Musk shared his thoughts about the attack on X. He believes the scale of the hack suggests a well-organized group or a foreign government.
He did not provide further details about the perpetrators. The attack affected over 600 million active users globally.
Additionally, the cyberattack happened amid rising tensions between Ukraine and Washington.
Recently, former President Donald Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator.” A White House meeting between the two leaders ended in disagreement.
Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance accused Zelensky of prolonging the war with Russia. They also criticized him for not showing enough gratitude for U.S. military aid.
Afterward, Musk accused Zelensky of wanting a “forever war.” He called him “evil” for continuing the conflict with Russia.
Dark storm team claims responsibility for the attack
Despite Musk’s claim, a different group took credit for the attack.
Dark Storm Team, a pro-Palestinian hacking group, said they were behind the disruption. The group is known for targeting those who support Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Cybersecurity firm SpyoSecure investigated the incident. They spoke with a Dark Storm Team leader, who confirmed the attack was a DDoS operation.
How the Cyberattack affected x users
A DDoS attack floods a website with fake traffic, overwhelming its servers. This prevents real users from accessing the platform.
Many X users were unable to log in. Others saw an error message that read: “Something went wrong, try reloading.”
At its peak, over 40,000 reports of issues flooded Downdetector. By 5 p.m. ET, only 1,000 users still experienced problems. Engineers at X appeared to have resolved the situation.
The attack followed a heated exchange between Musk and the Polish foreign minister.
Musk had claimed that Starlink was the “backbone of the Ukrainian army.” He suggested that Ukraine’s front line would collapse without it.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski pushed back. He said Poland spends $50 million a year on Starlink for Ukraine. Sikorski warned that Poland might switch providers if Starlink became unreliable.
Musk dismissed the criticism. He told Sikorski to “be quiet” and called him a “small man.”
Musk and Trump push for government spending cuts
The cyberattack also came as Musk worked with Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The initiative aims to cut federal spending by $100 billion.
Critics argue the plan will hurt federal workers. Protesters have targeted Tesla dealerships in response. Some activists have even set Tesla cars on fire in Colorado and France.
When asked about the attacks on Tesla, Musk remained unfazed.
“Always look on the bright side of life,” he said before laughing.
Musk’s claim about the cyberattack on X has sparked controversy. While he pointed to Ukraine, hackers from Dark Storm Team took responsibility.