X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, suffered a major disruption on Tuesday as thousands of users reported difficulties accessing the site.
Responding to the disruptions, Musk confirmed that X had been targeted by a significant cyberattack.
“There was (still is) a massive cyberattack against 𝕏. We get attacked every day, but this was done with a lot of resources. Either a large, coordinated group and/or a country is involved. Tracing …,” he said.
When asked about the attack on X later the same day, Musk provided further details in an interview on Fox Business Network with Larry Kudlow. He revealed that they had traced the attack to “IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area.”
“We are not sure exactly what happened, but there was a massive cyberattack trying to bring down the X system, with IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area,” he said.
Affected people
According to DownDetector, a platform that tracks outages across various digital services, over 41,000 users reported issues around 10:03 a.m. EDT, with most complaints indicating problems with the app and website.
Although the number of reports declined after the peak, users continued to experience disruptions, with complaints ranging between 25,000 and 36,000 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Earlier in the day, at 5:43 a.m., similar issues were reported, reaching a peak of 22,766 complaints just before 6 a.m. before appearing to resolve an hour later.
The attack raises concerns about the security of the platform, which has faced scrutiny over cybersecurity measures since Musk’s acquisition.
What you should know
Elon Musk initially demonstrated strong support for Ukraine in its resistance against Russia’s invasion. In June 2022, he revealed that SpaceX had delivered 15,000 Starlink terminals to Ukraine, helping maintain internet connectivity amid the war. At the time, he took a firm pro-Ukraine stance, even going as far as challenging Russian President Vladimir Putin to a one-on-one fight over Ukraine.
- However, Musk’s position on the war has shifted over time. He proposed a controversial peace plan on X, suggesting Ukraine should recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
- The proposal was widely criticized by Ukrainian officials but welcomed by the Kremlin. By 2024, his stance had become more critical of continued Western support for Ukraine. During an X Spaces event with Republican senators, he argued that there was “no way in hell” Putin would lose the war.
He opposed U.S. funding for Ukraine, claiming that prolonging the war was not in Ukraine’s best interest.
Most recently, following the Trump administration halt of all military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, Musk expressed frustration over what he described as a prolonged and unwinnable conflict.
