A huge cyberattack targeting Elon Musk’s X on March 10 has been attributed to the hacker group Dark Storm, which has ties to Russia. The attack, which caused access issues for users, was identified as a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, though the platform’s functionality was swiftly restored.
The cyberattack was publicly claimed by Dark Storm on a Telegram channel, which was later deleted for violating the platform’s terms of service. In a post shared by cybersecurity firm SpyoSecure, the hacker group’s leader confirmed their involvement, stating, “To anyone wondering why X was down, it was under attack by Dark Storm Team.”
Screenshots circulating on X show the hacker group’s message, which included a display of failed connection attempts from different global locations, further claiming responsibility for the attack. The post was later removed as the Telegram channel was deleted.
Ed Krassenstein, co-founder of NFT marketplace NFTz.me, confirmed in his own post to X that he had been in touch with Dark Storm’s leader. The hacker claimed that the attack was merely a show of strength with no political agenda, offering no clear reason for targeting the platform beyond demonstrating their capabilities.
Dark Storm, a pro-Palestinian hacking collective with ties to Russia, has been active since 2023. The group is notorious for launching cyberattacks against NATO countries.
Elon Musk, owner of X, confirmed the cyberattack in a March 10 interview with Fox Business’s Larry Kudlow. Musk stated that while the specifics of the attack were still unclear, the attack’s origins appeared to come from the Ukraine region. “There was a massive cyberattack to try and bring down the X system, with IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area,” Musk explained.
The attack comes amid intense tensions surrounding Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) initiative, which is slashing spending on certain government programs. The controversial move has been met with violent protests at Tesla facilities across the US as part of the broader “Take down Tesla” movement.
In the wake of the attack and the protests, former President Donald Trump took to X to show support for Musk. He praised Musk for his efforts to stand up for America and criticized the opposition against him. Trump announced that he would be purchasing a brand-new Tesla in solidarity, writing, “He is working hard with his outstanding talent to help make America great again.”
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