Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, encountered major disruptions today, which the billionaire has linked to a possible cyberattack. Monitoring service DownDetector reported that users began experiencing issues around 6 am ET, leading to over 20,000 complaints. By 10 am, this number had nearly doubled to almost 40,000, with about 26,000 users still facing problems by 12:30 pm.
Reports indicate that users across the globe are struggling to load the app, pointing to an issue that may not be merely localized. Musk has suggested that a “large group and/or a country” could be orchestrating this outage, although the specifics of this alleged attack remain unverified. Cybersecurity experts caution that it is premature to determine the exact cause of these outages.
Musk has previously hinted at cyberattacks during technical difficulties, recalling an incident in August 2024 when he speculated about a potential DDoS attack following a late conversation with Donald Trump. DDoS attacks can overwhelm servers, complicating efforts to identify their source and purpose.
This situation brings to light the ongoing challenges faced by X, especially as Musk has made significant operational changes since acquiring the platform in 2022, which included massive layoffs and staff reductions. Critics have expressed concerns that these changes may have weakened the platform’s resilience to outages.
Additionally, Musk’s other ventures, such as Tesla, are also experiencing challenges, including a recent decline of up to 12% in share value.
While the outages on X are understandably frustrating for users and indicative of possible deeper issues within the platform, they also serve as a reminder of the importance of robust cybersecurity measures and leadership stability in ensuring reliable service. The hope lies in the potential for these challenges to drive improvements in service and security for users in the future.
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