On Monday, March 10, 2025, Elon Musk announced that X, formerly known as Twitter, experienced a “massive cyberattack” leading to widespread service disruptions affecting thousands of users globally.
Timeline of the Incident
The first signs of trouble emerged around 5:30 a.m. Eastern Time, with users reporting issues accessing the platform. According to DownDetector, a website that tracks online service outages, complaints peaked mid-morning, with over 40,000 reports indicating problems such as the inability to refresh feeds, post content, or use the search function. The disruptions persisted into the afternoon, with another surge of over 25,000 user reports.
Elon Musk’s Response
In response to the escalating situation, Musk took to X to inform users about the nature of the disruption. He stated, “There was (still is) a massive cyberattack against X. 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.”
User Experience During the Outage
Throughout the day, users encountered various issues, including continuous buffering and error messages such as “Posts aren’t loading right now.” These problems affected both the X app and its website, with 56% of issues reported on the app and 33% on the website.
Speculations and Context
While Musk suggested the possibility of a nation-state being behind the attack, no concrete evidence has been presented to confirm this claim. Some reports hinted at the involvement of a hacker group, but details remain unverified.
This incident occurs amid Musk’s controversial role within the Trump administration, where he leads the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), tasked with reducing the federal budget and workforce. His association with President Trump and the resulting policy changes have led to protests and attacks on his other businesses, including Tesla. However, it remains uncertain if the cyberattack on X is directly related to Musk’s political activities.
Comparative Incidents
This is not the first time X has experienced significant technical issues under Musk’s ownership. Previous incidents include a series of outages in March 2023, where users faced problems logging in, loading images, and accessing links. Additionally, high-profile events on the platform, such as conversations involving political figures, have been plagued by technical difficulties, leading to speculations about potential cyberattacks.
Impact on Users and Alternative Platforms
The outage prompted many frustrated users to migrate to rival platforms like Meta’s Threads and Facebook to express their concerns and seek updates. This migration underscores the challenges X faces in retaining user trust amid recurring technical issues.
Conclusion
The “massive cyberattack” on X highlights the vulnerabilities even major social media platforms face in today’s digital landscape. While the exact perpetrators remain unidentified, the incident serves as a reminder of the importance of robust cybersecurity measures. As X continues to investigate the source of the attack, users worldwide await the restoration of stable and secure service.
