New Delhi:
Elon Musk has alleged that the massive cyberattack that targeted his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), had digital traces originating from Ukraine. Mr Musk, in an interview with Fox News, said, “We’re not sure exactly what happened, but there was a massive cyberattack to try to bring down the X system with IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area.”
The attack, which began early Monday, led to widespread outages across Asia, Europe, and North America. According to Downdetector, a site that tracks service disruptions, users reported being unable to access X for extended periods.
This is not the first time the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has blamed cyberattacks for issues on the platform. He previously attributed a similar outage to an attack last year, which coincided with a planned live-streamed interview with Donald Trump.
Mr Musk further amplified his claims by sharing a post from an X account named DogeDesigner, suggesting that the attack was part of a campaign against him. The post linked the cyberattack to recent protests against Mr Musk’s leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and acts of vandalism against Tesla facilities.
Mr Musk speculated that the attack required “tremendous resources” and suggested it could be the work of a nation-state or a large, coordinated group.
During an interview with Fox Business, he elaborated, claiming that the computers involved in the attack had digital footprints linked to Ukraine. However, cybersecurity experts caution that attributing an attack based on IP addresses alone is unreliable, as attackers can easily mask their locations.
As X struggled to recover from the disruption, outage reports peaked at more than 40,000 users experiencing connectivity issues, according to tracking data. Many users found the platform intermittently inaccessible throughout the day.
Since Mr Musk’s $44 billion takeover of Twitter in 2022, the company has drastically reduced its workforce. Technical issues have become more frequent, and Musk’s reinstatement of previously banned accounts – including those spreading conspiracy theories – has drawn criticism from advocacy groups.