Thousands of users faced disruptions on the social media platform X on Monday, as a significant cyberattack took the app offline. Elon Musk, the CEO of X, attributed the widespread outages to a "massive cyberattack," although he did not specify the exact source of the attack. The crash-tracking site reported that 25,000 users experienced problems with the app by Monday afternoon.
Musk suggested that the attack originated from the "Ukraine area," but experts have cast doubt on this assertion. They described the attack as "audacious and far-reaching," but considered it highly unlikely that Ukrainian government actors were behind it. The timing of the attack is notable, occurring just a day before diplomatic talks between Washington and Kyiv in Saudi Arabia. This meeting is particularly crucial as the United States had recently paused its offensive cyber operations against Moscow.
Experts believe Russian cyber actors might have exploited this pause to orchestrate such an attack. Alex Plitsas from the Atlantic Council noted that the scale of the attack indicates significant resources, implying the involvement of a large coordinated group or possibly a nation-state.
“It makes absolutely no sense for Ukrainian hackers to attack Elon Musk the day before a meeting between the United States and Ukraine in which they are attempting to get the United States to start sharing intelligence again, and provide aid and assistance, working towards a peace agreement that has been in question since the Oval Office visit,” – Alex Plitsas
“But there was a massive cyberattack to try to bring down the X system, with IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area,” – Elon Musk
The attack has raised suspicions about its true perpetrator. Plitsas suggested that Anonymous could be a potential suspect given their capabilities and public statements against Musk. However, he emphasized that Russia would benefit most from the attack's timing, as it could disrupt upcoming talks and frame Ukraine negatively.
“Anonymous is another likely possibility based on the statements they put out publicly and the capability and desire to hit (Musk), but in terms of who stands to benefit based on the timing — the only one is really the Russians, because doing it today would disrupt the talks that are scheduled for tomorrow,” – Alex Plitsas
“The only people that would stand to benefit from that would be the Russians in the sense that they’re blaming the Ukrainians, so they would want the Ukrainians to look bad and disrupt the talks,” – Alex Plitsas
The incident coincides with Musk's recent remarks highlighting his technology's role in supporting Ukraine's military efforts. After Russia's invasion in February 2022, Musk provided the Kyiv government with access to Starlink terminals, which have been crucial for military operations in Ukraine.
“I literally challenged Putin to one-on-one physical combat over Ukraine and my Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army,” – Elon Musk
Musk's claims about the origin of the attack remain unverified, as he did not offer concrete evidence pinpointing its source. The incident has stirred debates about cybersecurity and geopolitical tensions amid ongoing military conflicts.
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