By Zainab Shafiq 
Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, suffered a widespread outage on Monday, affecting tens of thousands of users across multiple continents. Elon Musk, the owner of the X platform, attributed the disruption to a large-scale cyberattack but provided no concrete evidence to support his claim.
Massive Disruption Across Regions Due to X Cyberattack, Confirms Elon Musk
Reports of accessibility issues began surfacing in the early hours, with users from Asia, Europe, and North America struggling to log in. Downdetector, a service that monitors online outages, recorded over 40,000 complaints at the peak of the disruption. While most issues were reported on smartphones, some users accessing X via web browsers also faced problems.
Musk took to X to address the situation, stating, “There was (still is) a massive cyberattack against X.” He suggested that executing such a large-scale attack would require significant resources, hinting at the possible involvement of a country or a highly coordinated group. However, no further details were provided regarding the source of the attack.
Speculation and Reactions
Online discussions quickly speculated about the potential motives behind the attack. Some linked the incident to recent protests against the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an entity reportedly entrusted to Musk by Donald Trump. Others pointed to growing discontent with Musk’s handling of the platform, particularly after mass layoffs left questions about the company’s ability to maintain security and stability.
A post from the account @Jammies on X echoed Musk’s thoughts, stating, “It would take a lot of (money) to do an attack of this magnitude. Who has the resources to fund this?” Meanwhile, other users vented their frustrations, with one writing, “Twitter keeps breaking?” in the Downdetector chat section.
Concerns Over X’s Stability
Since Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in late 2022, the platform has faced ongoing technical issues, partly attributed to the significant workforce reductions that followed. Many have questioned whether the company still has sufficient staff to maintain and secure its systems effectively.
As of now, no official source has confirmed the identity of the attackers or the full extent of the damage caused. X has yet to release a formal statement detailing the attack’s impact or the measures being taken to prevent future incidents.
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