Elon Musk Alleges Major Cyberattack Targeting X Amid Service Disruptions

In the wake of significant service outages affecting thousands of users on the social media platform X, Elon Musk has alleged that the site is the target of a major cyberattack. Musk expressed that while the platform faces daily attacks, this incident appears to involve substantial resources, suggesting the involvement of either a well-coordinated group or a nation-state.

During an appearance on Fox Business Network, Musk stated that the attack seemed to originate from IP addresses in the Ukraine region, although he did not elaborate on the implications of this information. However, cybersecurity experts were quick to challenge Musk's claims, emphasizing that the data points to IP addresses from around the globe, not exclusively from Ukraine. Security researcher Kevin Beaumont noted that the attack appeared to be executed by a variant of the Mirai botnet, which typically comprises compromised devices such as cameras. Beaumont expressed uncertainty regarding the identity of the attackers but suggested that the profile of the attack was indicative of amateur hackers rather than sophisticated state actors.

Allan Liska, a cybersecurity analyst from Recorded Future, echoed similar sentiments, positing that even if every IP address linked to the attack originated from Ukraine--a notion he found dubious--it is most likely that these were compromised systems controlled by a botnet from anywhere worldwide.

On Monday, complaints about the outages surged around 6 a.m. Eastern Time and peaked again at 10 a.m., with over 40,000 users reporting access issues, as tracked by Downdetector.com. By the afternoon, the number of reports had decreased significantly. The disruptions reached their peak around noon, lasting for at least an hour, particularly affecting users along the U.S. coasts. Downdetector indicated that 56% of the issues were linked to the X app, while 33% were associated with the website.

Experts noted that verifying Musk's assertions would require access to technical data from X, which is unlikely to be publicly shared. Nicholas Reese, an adjunct instructor at New York University's Center for Global Affairs and a specialist in cyber operations, stated that the likelihood of state involvement is minimal given the brief nature of the outages. He explained that cyberattacks often fall into two categories: those designed to be conspicuous and those that aim for stealth. The nature of this incident, he argued, suggests a deliberate intention to draw attention, which diminishes the likelihood of a state actor's involvement. Reese further remarked that the temporary outage might have been an attempt by a group to convey a message, but without subsequent actions, its impact seems limited.

This incident follows a similar event in March 2023 when X, then known as Twitter, experienced widespread glitches for over an hour, interrupting users' ability to log in and load images. The phrase 'X outage' became a trending topic on rival platform BlueSky, where some users welcomed new arrivals and encouraged them to remain. Musk, who acquired the platform in 2022 and also leads Tesla, has often been seen managing the company while humorously donning a shirt labeled 'tech support.'