On March 10, 2025, X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, experienced significant disruptions attributed to a massive cyberattack. Users worldwide reported issues accessing the platform, with outages peaking around 11:00 AM and recurring four hours later.
Elon Musk, owner of X, addressed the incident, stating that the platform was under a “massive cyberattack” and suggesting that the attack might have originated from “IP addresses in the Ukraine area.” He further speculated that the assault could involve a “large, coordinated group and/or a country.”
The nature of the attack has been identified as a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, where a network is overwhelmed with excessive traffic, rendering it inaccessible to legitimate users. Cybersecurity experts have noted that while DDoS attacks are not new, the scale and impact on a platform as large as X are noteworthy. Jake Moore, a global cybersecurity adviser at Eset, expressed surprise at X’s susceptibility, stating, “I am very surprised that X fell over as a result of a DDoS attack… it doesn’t reflect well on their cybersecurity.”
Determining the exact origin of the attack has proven challenging. While Musk pointed to Ukrainian IP addresses, experts caution against drawing definitive conclusions based solely on IP data. Jake Moore emphasized that IP addresses can be manipulated to appear as though they originate from different locations, making it “dangerous to point the finger so early on.” Similarly, Ciaran Martin, former chief executive of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, described Musk’s attribution to Ukraine as “wholly unconvincing based on the evidence so far” and “pretty much garbage.”
In the immediate aftermath, a pro-Palestinian hacktivist group known as “Dark Storm Team” claimed responsibility for the attack. However, subsequent analyses have cast doubt on this claim. Elon Musk later suggested that the attacks originated from Ukrainian IP addresses, but cybersecurity experts caution that attributing attacks based solely on IP addresses is unreliable, as attackers often use compromised devices and proxy networks to mask their true locations.
The attack’s impact extended beyond user accessibility. Tesla, Musk’s electric vehicle company, experienced a 15% drop in stock value following the outage. Analysts attribute this decline to Musk’s alignment with right-wing politics, which may alienate Tesla’s traditionally liberal customer base. In response, President Donald Trump expressed support for Musk and announced plans to purchase a Tesla to show solidarity.
This incident has raised broader concerns about cybersecurity vulnerabilities in major social media platforms. The fact that a platform as prominent as X could be disrupted by a DDoS attack underscores the need for robust security measures. Experts emphasize the importance of implementing advanced DDoS protection layers and continuously monitoring for potential threats. The incident also highlights the challenges in accurately attributing cyberattacks, given the ease with which attackers can obfuscate their true origins.
