Elon Musk has alleged that X, his social media platform, is facing a “massive” and sustained cyberattack.
The platform suffered at least three major outages on Monday, leaving users unable to refresh timelines or post updates.
“There was (still is) a massive cyber attack against X,” Musk posted on X. “We get attacked every day, but this was done with a lot resources. Either a large, coordinated group and/or a country is involved.”
The first outage occurred early in the morning in Los Angeles and lasted approximately 45 minutes. Another disruption happened at 6:30 am PT, lasting 45 minutes, followed by a third wave of issues around 8:00 am PT.
According to Downdetector, X users experienced repeated errors and endless loading loops throughout the morning.
A source from the internet infrastructure industry informed Reuters that at around 9:45 am PT, the platform was hit by several waves of denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.
DoS attacks work by overwhelming a network or website with traffic, slowing its performance, or rendering it inaccessible. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has confirmed that such attacks aim to degrade website functionality.
Musk later reiterated his claim of a cyberattack on X in another tweet around 1:30 pm ET, stating that the attack was responsible for the repeated service disruptions.
Dark Storm team claims responsibility for the attack
According to Newsweek, a hacking group known as Dark Storm Team has claimed responsibility for the distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on X.
Formed in 2023 as a pro-Palestinian collective, the group has previously targeted government websites in NATO countries, Israel, and nations supporting Israel.
The group claimed responsibility in a public Telegram post. The actual content of the post remains unclear.
One report suggests that the group boasted about successfully bringing X offline.
Protests against Musk intensify
The cyberattack coincided with physical protests and attacks on Tesla dealerships and showrooms across Europe and the U.S. over the weekend.
Once a dominant player in the electric vehicle market, Tesla has seen a decline in sales.
Many attribute this downturn to Musk’s increasing political involvement and alignment with right-wing ideologies, which has alienated a section of the consumer base.
Demonstrators have held hundreds of protests at Tesla locations globally.
In Louisville, Kentucky, protesters gathered at a Tesla service and sales center to express their opposition to Musk’s actions. Some accused him of supporting authoritarianism and far-right groups, while others were outraged by an alleged Nazi salute he made at a Trump inauguration event.
Additional concerns have been raised about Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which some argue violates constitutional principles by overriding congressional spending decisions.
Critics have labeled him a hypocrite for cutting federal services while his businesses benefit from government contracts. In response, private Tesla owners have reported acts of vandalism on their vehicles, which protesters allegedly committed.
Take Down Tesla, a group organizing the protests, has listed over 100 upcoming demonstrations across various countries, including the U.S., U.K., Portugal, Malaysia, and Iceland.
Protest organizer Hunt stated, “As the public sours on what Elon Musk is doing, we can actually do things that are effective to hurt his wealth and to stop what he’s doing.”
With mounting protests and an ongoing cyberattack, Musk’s businesses and public perception remain at the center of controversy.
Whether X can fend off future attacks remains uncertain, but Musk’s claim of a large-scale, coordinated effort against his platform has certainly raised eyebrows.
