Massive Outage Hits Elon Musk's X Platform in the US and UK

Elon Musk's social media platform, X (formerly known as Twitter), experienced significant outages across the United States and the United Kingdom on Monday morning. The disruption affected thousands of users, prompting concerns over cybersecurity and platform stability.

Scale and Impact of the Outage

According to Downdetector, a platform that monitors online service outages, tens of thousands of users in the US reported connectivity issues with X. In the UK, more than 8,000 users reported outages shortly before 14:00 GMT. The problems included difficulties in loading feeds and accessing the app and desktop site.

Connection Issues Persist

Many users faced persistent connection issues throughout the morning and into the afternoon. Both the desktop and mobile versions of the platform displayed a loading icon, preventing users from refreshing their feeds or accessing new content.

Musk Attributes Outage to Cyber-Attack

Elon Musk, in an interview with Fox Business, claimed that the outage stemmed from a "massive cyber-attack" originating "in the Ukraine area." He suggested that the attack could have been carried out by a "large, coordinated group and/or a country."

Lack of Evidence Fuels Speculation

Despite the claim, Musk did not provide concrete evidence to support the accusation. His comments have drawn scrutiny, particularly due to his previous criticisms of Ukraine and its President, Volodymyr Zelensky.

The BBC has approached the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, DC, for comment, but no response has been received yet.

Expert Insight: Possible Denial of Service Attack

Alp Toker, director of Netblocks—a platform monitoring global internet connectivity—stated that the outage patterns align with those typically seen in a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack.

Nature of the Attack

"What we've been seeing is consistent with what we've seen in past denial of service attacks, rather than a configuration or coding error in the platform," Toker told the BBC.

He added that Monday's disruptions were among the longest tracked for X, lasting over six hours and impacting users globally.

Understanding DDoS Attacks

A DDoS attack aims to overwhelm a system by flooding it with internet traffic, causing slowdowns or total shutdowns. Musk has previously suggested that X has been targeted by similar attacks, though such claims have not been independently verified.

Political Tensions Intensify

In addition to the cyber-attack claims, Musk engaged in a heated exchange with US Senator Mark Kelly. Musk labeled the senator a "traitor" for visiting Ukraine over the weekend. Senator Kelly responded, emphasizing the importance of defending freedom and standing with the Ukrainian people.

Senator Kelly's Response

"Elon, if you don't understand that defending freedom is a basic tenet of what makes America great and keeps us safe, maybe you should leave it to those of us who do," Kelly stated in response on X.

The recent outages on X highlight ongoing cybersecurity threats facing major social media platforms. While Musk's cyber-attack claims have yet to be substantiated, the incident underscores the need for enhanced digital defenses. The political tensions between Musk and US officials further complicate the narrative, drawing attention to the broader geopolitical implications.

Disclaimer

This content has been created by an AI language model and is intended to provide general information. While we strive to deliver accurate and reliable content, it may not always reflect the latest developments or expert opinions. The content should not be considered as professional or personalized advice. We encourage you to seek professional guidance and verify the information independently before making decisions based on this content.

This information is sourced from BBC

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