Massive X Cyberattack: Here’s Who’s Responsible
A significant disruption occurred on the social media platform X on Monday, impacting users globally. The outage led to widespread connectivity issues, with users reporting numerous error messages. During its peak, Downdetector noted over 40,000 complaints about the service’s instability, which lingered for several hours before resolution occurred.
The hacker group Dark Storm, which is believed to have connections to Russia, has claimed responsibility for this cyberattack that left thousands unable to reliably connect to the platform.
### Hackers’ IPs Traced to Ukraine Region
This incident was identified as a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, a common tactic that overwhelms a target with excessive traffic to render it unusable. According to cybersecurity firm SpyoSecure, Dark Storm’s leader had initially announced the attack via a now-deleted post on Telegram, reveling in the chaos caused by the outage. Although the group’s Telegram channel has since been taken down for breaching platform policies, screenshots and reports of the attack continue to circulate online.
Social media commentator and entrepreneur Ed Krassenstein, co-founder of the NFT marketplace NFTz.me, shared his own communication with Dark Storm’s leadership. In a tweet, he mentioned that the hackers framed their intentions as a demonstration of strength rather than being purely politically motivated. This assertion raises eyebrows, as Dark Storm has a history that involves targeting NATO countries, coupled with a stated pro-Palestinian stance, suggesting deeper political motivations.
In an interview, Elon Musk addressed the attack, confirming its occurrence and revealing that investigations traced the hackers’ IP addresses to the “Ukraine area,” although he did not provide additional details.
### Political Firestorm
This incident unfolds against the backdrop of the “Take Down Tesla” movement, which has seen protests and vandalism erupt at Tesla facilities nationwide. The unrest is largely driven by opposition to Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been scrapping government agencies in a controversial approach to governance. Critics are rallying against Musk’s growing political weight, particularly within the Trump administration.
Musk has pointed his finger at several activist groups, including Troublemakers, Disruption Project, Rise & Resist, Indivisible Project, and the Democratic Socialists of America, alleging that they are orchestrating the rising wave of protests against his initiatives.
The intersection of the recent cyberattack, widespread discontent against Musk’s political maneuvers, and social unrest creates a volatile environment around both his ventures and the broader narrative surrounding technology’s influence in modern governance and civic discourse.
