San Francisco, California – Thousands of users, including many in the U.S., found themselves unable to access Elon Musk’s platform X on Monday morning. Musk later revealed that the cause of the outage was a “massive cyberattack,” which had been ongoing for about eight hours.
During a live interview with Fox News, Musk suggested that the alleged cyberattack originated from IP addresses in the Ukraine. While there is currently no concrete evidence to support Musk’s claims, his assertion highlights the vulnerability of his platform to such attacks. Musk’s growing influence and controversies, particularly under the Trump administration, have made X a target for criticism and disruptions.
Protests against Musk’s involvement in government matters have extended to Tesla stores, leading to a decrease in the company’s stock value. This added pressure on top of the cyberattack issues indicates a turbulent time for the entrepreneur and his ventures.
Downdetector, a platform that monitors online outages, reported that X experienced multiple disruptions throughout the day on Monday. More than 20,000 users initially reported outages at 5:30 a.m. Eastern Time, which seemed to be resolved briefly before resurfacing at 9:30 a.m. ET with over 40,000 users affected. The intermittent accessibility continued beyond 1:30 p.m. ET, causing frustration among users, especially during notable events like the NFL free agency.
While occasional outages are common for platforms of X’s caliber, the timing and prolonged nature of this cyberattack-induced disruption have raised concerns among users. Musk’s response to the situation and the platform’s ability to address and prevent future attacks will be crucial in maintaining user trust and confidence in X moving forward.