Over the past few days, X (formerly Twitter) has faced massive outages and disruptions, with many users unable to access the platform. Reports suggest that this is the result of a large-scale cyberattack, potentially orchestrated by a well-funded group or even a nation-state.
What Happened?
The first major outages were reported on Monday, March 10, with tens of thousands of users worldwide experiencing issues loading the platform. Downdetector, a site that tracks online service disruptions, registered a peak of over 41,000 reports within a few hours. Some users saw blank timelines, while others were logged out or unable to post.
Elon Musk Speaks Out
Elon Musk, who owns X, responded to the situation, calling it a “massive cyberattack” that disrupted the platform’s operations. According to Musk, the attack was well-coordinated and involved a significant number of requests aimed at overwhelming X’s infrastructure.
In an interview, Musk claimed that the attack originated from IP addresses linked to the “Ukraine area.” However, cybersecurity experts warn that IP-based attribution can be misleading, as attackers often use proxies and VPNs to disguise their real locations.
Who Is Responsible?
A hacking group known as Dark Storm Team has allegedly claimed responsibility for the attack. The group, which has previously targeted NATO countries and Israel, posted messages on Telegram, boasting about the disruption they caused to X. However, there has been no independent verification of their claims.
Is X Secure?
This is not the first time X has suffered from outages since Musk took over in 2022, but the scale of this cyberattack raises concerns about the platform’s security. Some cybersecurity analysts believe that X’s reduced workforce, following massive layoffs after Musk’s acquisition, may have left the platform more vulnerable to attacks.
Additionally, speculation is growing about whether this attack is linked to political tensions or if it is just an opportunistic attack by cybercriminals.
X’s Shitty Customer Support: A Disaster in the Making?
Beyond security concerns, many users believe that X’s horrendous customer support has only made things worse. Over the past year, countless reports have surfaced about slow response times, ignored support tickets, and a general lack of competent assistance.
Since Musk’s drastic layoffs, X’s support team has been reduced to near non-existence, with premium users also complaining about unresolved issues despite paying for X Premium (formerly Twitter Blue). Many users dealing with account locks, verification problems, or shadow bans have received either copy-paste responses or no response at all.
Now, with X facing a major cyberattack, there’s little faith that their support team is capable of handling such a large-scale crisis efficiently. Some critics argue that if X invested more in proper support and security, it might not have become such an easy target in the first place.
The Road Ahead
As X works to restore stability, questions remain about whether the platform is prepared for future cyber threats. With social media being a critical tool for news, communication, and even financial transactions, attacks like these highlight the growing risks of cyber warfare in the digital age.
For now, users are advised to be patient while X’s engineering team mitigates the attack and strengthens its security measures—though if you’re waiting for support to fix anything, you might be out of luck.
