Elon Musk claims Ukraine connection to X cyberattack

Elon Musk has claimed that a large-scale cyberattack targeting X was traced to Ukraine

Elon Musk has claimed that a large-scale cyberattack targeting X (formerly Twitter) was traced to Ukraine, leading to major disruptions across multiple regions. The outages, which began early Monday, affected users in Asia, Europe, and North America, with Downdetector reporting peak disruption at over 40,000 users.

Musk, in an interview with Fox Business, said, "We're not sure exactly what happened, but there was a massive cyberattack to try to bring down the X system with IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area." He further suggested that the attack was carried out with "tremendous resources" and could be linked to either a nation-state or a well-organised group.

"There was a massive cyberattack to try to bring down the X system with IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area," @elonmusk tells @larry_kudlow. pic.twitter.com/7ihvy3Q2ld
Fox News (@FoxNews) March 10, 2025

“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…" Musk wrote on X.

There was (still is) a massive cyberattack against . 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 https://t.co/aZSO1a92no Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 10, 2025

The cyberattack led to prolonged outages, with X experiencing repeated crashes throughout the day. Users faced difficulties loading posts and accessing in-app services, while some reported complete connectivity failures. Downdetector recorded spikes in user complaints at multiple intervals, with reports suggesting that 56 per cent of users faced issues with the app, 33 per cent with the website, and 11 per cent with server connections.

Musk linked the attack to a broader campaign against him, referencing ongoing protests over his leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a Trump administration initiative aimed at reducing the federal workforce. Supporters of Musk pointed to acts of vandalism at Tesla facilities as part of this alleged campaign.

However, cybersecurity experts have warned against drawing conclusions based solely on IP addresses, as attackers often use proxies to disguise their locations. X has yet to confirm any forensic details about the attack's origins.

Since Musk's acquisition of X in 2022, the platform has experienced frequent technical difficulties amid workforce reductions, raising concerns about its resilience against cyber threats.