A computer and a smartphone show the homepage of X on October 16, 2023, in Sydney. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File)
Thousands of users found themselves unable to access X (formerly Twitter) on Monday due to a widespread outage. Later that day, Elon Musk claimed the platform was under a "massive cyberattack."
Musk’s Claims and Cybersecurity Experts’ Reactions
Musk stated on X that while cyberattacks occur daily, this one was particularly intense, suggesting that a well-organized group or even a nation could be behind it. He later told Fox Business Network’s Kudlow that the attackers’ IP addresses were traced to the "Ukraine area," though he didn’t elaborate on its significance.
Cybersecurity experts, however, were quick to challenge Musk’s theory. Security researcher Kevin Beaumont argued that the attack involved IPs from all over the world, not just Ukraine. He identified the attack as being linked to a Mirai variant botnet—a network of compromised devices, primarily security cameras. Beaumont jokingly referred to the attackers as “APTs – advanced persistent teenagers,” implying amateur hackers may be responsible.
Allan Liska, a cybersecurity analyst at Recorded Future, added that even if the IPs were traced to Ukraine, they were likely just infected machines controlled remotely by hackers worldwide.
The Extent of the Outage
According to Downdetector.com, reports of X outages spiked at 6 a.m. and again at 10 a.m. Eastern Time, with over 40,000 users experiencing problems. The disruptions were most severe along the U.S. coasts. A sustained outage occurred around noon, lasting at least an hour before subsiding by the afternoon.
More than half of the reported issues (56%) were linked to the X mobile app, while 33% were related to the website.
Is a State Actor Involved?
Despite Musk’s claims, some experts doubt a government-backed cyberattack would cause such a temporary outage. Nicholas Reese, a cyber operations expert at NYU, explained that state-sponsored attacks tend to be stealthy, not loud and obvious like this one. He suggested that if a nation-state was involved, it might have been a warning for something bigger.
“There are two types of cyberattacks—those designed to be loud and disruptive, and those meant to go unnoticed,” Reese explained. “The valuable ones are usually quiet. This attack was meant to be seen, which makes it unlikely to be the work of a state actor.”
Reese also speculated that the attack could have been a symbolic move, though a short-lived outage isn’t a strong message unless followed by further disruptions.
Past Technical Issues and Musk’s Leadership
This isn’t the first time X has faced major technical glitches. In March 2023, Twitter (before it was rebranded) suffered widespread malfunctions, preventing users from logging in, loading images, or accessing links.
Meanwhile, as Musk juggles multiple roles—including running X and Tesla—his platform management continues to draw attention. The recent outage sparked discussions on rival platform Bluesky, where some users urged others to make the switch.
