Russian Hackers Crash X, Musk Traces IPs to Ukraine

A Russian-backed hacking group, Dark Storm, has claimed responsibility for the March 10 cyberattack on X (formerly Twitter), which temporarily disrupted access for thousands of users worldwide.

Cybersecurity firm SpyoSecure reported that Dark Storm took credit for the distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack in a now-deleted Telegram post.

“To anyone wondering why X (Twitter) was down, it was under attack by Dark Storm Team,” SpyoSecure posted on X.

Screenshots shared on X captured Dark Storm’s boast, showing a screenshot of failed connection attempts from multiple global locations.

Attack Was a “Demonstration of Strength”

Social media personality and NFTz.me co-founder Ed Krassenstein independently investigated the incident and communicated with Dark Storm’s leader.

“The reason he gives me for the attack is just a demonstration of our strength, with no political motives,” Krassenstein revealed.

Dark Storm, a pro-Palestinian hacker group backed by Russia, has been active since 2023, frequently targeting NATO-affiliated nations.

Elon Musk Confirms Attack, Traces IPs to Ukraine Region

Elon Musk, owner of X, confirmed that the platform had been targeted by a large-scale cyberattack.

During a March 10 interview with Fox Business’s Larry Kudlow, Musk disclosed that X had traced some of the IP addresses involved in the attack.

“We’re not sure exactly what happened, but there was a massive cyberattack to try and bring down the X system with IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area.”

The Telegram channel where Dark Storm claimed responsibility has since been removed for violating platform policies.

Cyberattack Coincides With Anti-Musk Protests and Tesla Stock Slump

The attack comes amid growing protests against Musk and Tesla, driven by the “Take Down Tesla” movement—a response to Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has slashed government spending across multiple departments.

Musk defended DOGE in his interview with Kudlow, stating:

“We’re doing the right thing here. DOGE is cutting spending on initiatives very few taxpayers would agree make sense.”

Tesla’s stock has taken a hit, plunging over 15% in the latest trading session, closing at $222 per share. In after-hours trading, it dropped another 3% to $215, according to Google Finance.

📉 Tesla stock performance:

✅ Up 24% year-over-year
❌ Still down from its all-time high of $480 (Dec. 17, 2024)

Not the First DDoS Attack on X

This is not the first time X has suffered a cyberattack.

Last August, Musk claimed hackers launched a DDoS attack just before his interview with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.

As cyber threats continue to escalate, X faces growing security concerns, with politically driven attacks becoming more frequent.