X Faces Global Outage Amid Suspected Cyberattack

X, the rebranded version of Twitter under Elon Musk’s ownership, was hit by a major outage on Monday, leaving tens of thousands of users unable to access the service. Musk claimed the disruption was the result of a "massive cyberattack," potentially orchestrated by a "large, coordinated group or a country."

According to Downdetector.com, a service that tracks online outages, over 40,000 users reported issues with X throughout the day. The problems began around 6 a.m. ET, with a second wave of outages peaking at 10 a.m. ET. Users across the globe complained about the app failing to load, with Downdetector’s international data confirming the outage’s widespread impact.

Musk took to X to address the incident, stating, "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..."

Denial-of-Service Attacks Under Scrutiny

Industry sources suggest that X was targeted by multiple waves of denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, a common tactic used to overwhelm servers and render websites or platforms inaccessible. While DoS attacks are not typically sophisticated, they can cause significant disruption, especially for high-traffic platforms like X.

Eric Noonan, CEO of cybersecurity firm CyberSheath, emphasized the challenges of attributing such incidents in real time. "It’s too early to definitively say whether this was a cyberattack or another issue," he stated "Statements made during or immediately after an outage should be approached cautiously."

This isn’t the first time Musk has pointed to cyberattacks as the cause of technical difficulties. In August 2024, a live conversation between Musk and former President Donald Trump was delayed by 42 minutes, with Musk citing a "probability" of a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. Similarly, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign announcement on X in 2023 was marred by technical glitches, though no definitive cause was identified.

A History of Instability Under Musk’s Leadership

Since acquiring the platform in 2022, Musk has implemented sweeping changes, including layoffs of approximately 80% of the workforce and a shift in operational priorities. These moves have been accompanied by a series of technical issues, raising concerns about the platform’s stability and resilience.

The latest outage comes at a challenging time for Musk, whose other ventures are also under pressure. Tesla shares dropped as much as 12% in midday trading on Monday, wiping out gains made since the November 2024 U.S. presidential election.

Cybersecurity in the Spotlight

While ransomware attacks have dominated headlines in recent years due to their financial motivations, DDoS attacks remain a potent tool for causing disruption. These attacks are often harder to trace, especially when state actors or well-resourced groups are involved.

The incident underscores the growing importance of robust cybersecurity measures for digital platforms, particularly those with global reach and influence. As X works to restore full functionality, the broader tech community will be watching closely to see how the platform responds to this latest challenge.

What’s Next?

For now, the focus remains on restoring service and investigating the root cause of the outage. Whether the disruption was indeed the result of a cyberattack or another issue, the incident highlights the vulnerabilities of even the most widely used digital platforms in an era of increasing cyber threats.

As the situation unfolds, users and experts alike will be looking for answers—and assurances that X can withstand future challenges in an increasingly volatile digital landscape.