New Delhi:
Dark Storm, a pro-Palestinian hacking group, has claimed responsibility for hacking X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
The attack caused a major global outage, with over 40,000 users affected. The platform remained down for several hours before being restored. X CEO Elon Musk said the platform suffered a massive cyberattack. “It was done with a lot of resources,” Musk wrote, suggesting that “either a large, coordinated group and/or a country is involved.”
Who are Dark Storm?
Dark Storm Team is a pro-Palestinian hacktivist group known for launching cyberattacks against entities they perceive as Israel supporters. Their operations include Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks and other forms of cyber warfare, targeting governments, infrastructure, and organisations aligned with Israeli interests.
Dark Storm isn’t just driven by ideology, it also sells cyberattack services for profit. The group offers DDoS attacks on websites, both secure and vulnerable, along with database breaches, as per their Telegram channel.
Dark Storm Activities
- Threats Against NATO and Allies: In February 2024, the Dark Storm Team issued ultimatums threatening cyberattacks on NATO countries, Israel, and nations supporting Israel. These threats underscored the group’s intent to disrupt critical services and government websites.
- Collaboration with Pro-Russian Entities: The group has reportedly collaborated with pro-Russian hacktivist organisations, expanding their operational reach. Their activities include selling hacking tools and services through various channels.
- Targeting US Infrastructure: Dark Storm Team has claimed responsibility for cyberattacks on US infrastructure, including a DDoS attack on John F Kennedy International Airport in October 2024, citing the airport’s perceived support for Israel as motivation.
How Did Dark Storm Attack X?
Cybersecurity experts identified the X attack as a multi-layered Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack. Hackers flooded X’s servers with an overwhelming volume of fake requests, crippling the platform’s ability to function.
Unlike a simple traffic surge, the attack used a botnet – a network of hijacked devices – including compromised personal computers, smart cameras, and routers. These devices, controlled remotely by the hackers, helped sustain the attack and make it harder to stop.
X has yet to confirm whether Dark Storm was behind the attack.