What caused the X
outage?
On March 10, 2025, X’s services went down for many users,
causing frustration and confusion across the
platform.
The outages were significant enough to make headlines and draw
attention from the tech community and the media. Elon Musk, ever
the outspoken owner, quickly attributed the disruptions to a
“massive cyberattack.”
While the initial response was that the attack might have
originated from a coordinated group or even a nation-state, Musk’s
comments pointed to Ukrainian IP addresses as the suspected source.
However, he later clarified that the evidence was not
definitive.
Also, several cybersecurity experts emphasized
that attributing the source of such attacks based solely on IP
addresses is unreliable, as attackers often use compromised devices
worldwide to mask their actual location.
So, what was the cause of X’s disruption?
It was a large-scale,
distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. Such attacks
involve overwhelming a server with so much traffic that it cannot
serve legitimate requests, effectively bringing down the platform.
This attack is a common method for cybercriminals to take down
websites and was the primary factor behind X’s downtime.
The technical side: How
the DDoS attack impacted X
DDoS attacks are no small feat. These attacks flood the
target’s servers with excessive traffic, rendering them unable to
function correctly.
It’s a strategy designed to exhaust a system’s resources and
make it impossible for genuine users to access the service. Experts
pointed out that the attack on X was massive and well-coordinated,
taking down parts of the platform for hours.
Here’s a timeline of the events on March 10:
- Early morning (Eastern Time): Users began
reporting
issues accessing X, with over 21,000 reports in the US and 10,800
in the UK.
- 9:30 am ET: A second wave of outages occurred,
with about 40,000 users reporting disruptions. This outage
persisted into the afternoon.
- Throughout the day: Users continued to
experience intermittent access issues, with reports peaking during
critical periods such as the start of National Football League free
agency.
- Evening: By 6:24 pm ET, the number of reported
issues decreased significantly to 403 in the US and 200 in the UK,
indicating that the platform was stabilizing.
Security experts noted that some of X’s origin servers had not
been adequately
protected behind Cloudflare’s DDoS defense systems. This created a
vulnerability that cyber attackers could exploit, contributing to
the success of the attack.
Did any individual or group claim responsibility?
Yes, in the aftermath of the attack, a pro-Palestinian hacker
group known as
Dark Storm Team claimed responsibility. This group has been
active since late 2023 and is known for targeting organizations and
governments perceived to support Israel. Their tactics often
involve DDoS attacks to disrupt services and draw attention to
their political motives.
While X took quick action to shore up these weaknesses, this
incident served as a reminder that even the most prominent
platforms are not immune to cyber threats if their security
infrastructure isn’t up to the task.
Did you know? Cloudflare is renowned for
its robust DDoS protection, having previously defended against some
of the largest recorded attacks, including a 5.6 terabit per second
assault in October 2024.
From fail whale to
Musk’s era: Major X outages in history
Over the years, the platform has faced several high-profile
outages caused by cyberattacks, internal errors and technical
limitations.
In its early days, X (then Twitter) was notorious for frequent
crashes, often displaying the now-iconic “fail whale” image to
users. These outages were primarily due to the platform’s struggle
to handle surges in traffic, particularly during major global
events like elections, award shows and sports finals.
“Fail Whale” was Twitter’s old error message, showing a cartoon
whale being lifted by birds. It appeared when Twitter was
overloaded or crashed. It became a symbol of Twitter’s frequent
outages, especially in its early days.
Notable incidents from Fail Whale to Musk’s X era include:
- 2016 Dyn DDoS attack: One of the most severe
outages in X’s history occurred during the Dyn cyberattack in
October 2016. This massive DDoS attack targeted a key internet
infrastructure provider, taking down major websites, including X,
Reddit and Spotify. The incident underscored the risks of
centralized internet infrastructure.
- 2020 API failures: In October 2020, a
widespread outage due to internal system changes led to API
failures. While not a cyberattack, the event demonstrated how a
misconfiguration could bring down the platform for hours.
- 2022 takeover disruptions: Following Elon
Musk’s acquisition in late 2022, several outages occurred due to
mass layoffs affecting critical engineering teams. Reduced staffing
raised concerns about the platform’s ability to maintain
reliability.
- 2023 rate limit issues: In July 2023,
X
imposed strict rate limits on users due to excessive data
scraping. This decision led to widespread service disruptions, with
many users unable to load tweets.
Did you know? The
US Treasury is being sued for allegedly giving Elon Musk’s
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access to millions of
Americans’ sensitive financial and personal data. The lawsuit,
filed by the AFL-CIO, claims this access violates federal laws and
raises significant privacy concerns. Lawmakers, including Senator
Elizabeth Warren, have warned that Musk’s involvement could lead to
unprecedented data misuse.
The growing importance
of social media security
The X outage highlights the growing concern about social
media security in today’s digital world. Platforms like X, Meta and
Instagram have become crucial communication channels for
individuals, businesses, governments and activists. Even X has
become a hub for the crypto community, serving as a central
platform for discussions, updates, and networking within the
industry. However, these platforms are increasingly under threat
from cyberattacks, misinformation campaigns and data
breaches.
Here are some key areas where social media security is
essential:
- Protecting user data: With millions of users
actively posting, messaging and storing sensitive data, social
media platforms are prime targets for hackers. Personal
information, including emails, phone numbers and even financial
data, can be compromised if security measures are weak.
- Enhancing user authentication: Stronger
authentication methods, such as
multifactor authentication (MFA), biometric logins and
encrypted messaging, can reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
Users should be encouraged to enable MFA to add an extra layer of
security to their accounts.
- Fighting disinformation and fake accounts:
Cyberattacks aren’t always about taking down a platform;
sometimes, they aim to manipulate public perception. Fake accounts,
bots and misinformation campaigns can create chaos, influence
elections and spread propaganda. Social media companies must use
advanced AI tools to proactively detect and remove such
threats.
- Preventing DDoS and cyberattacks: As seen in
the case of X, DDoS attacks can cripple a platform. While companies
invest heavily in cybersecurity, hackers continue to evolve their
tactics. This calls for constant vigilance and AI-driven security
systems to detect and mitigate threats in real-time.
- Regular security audits and updates:
Cybersecurity is an ongoing process. Social media companies must
conduct regular security audits to identify and patch
vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. Keeping systems
updated ensures that the latest security measures are in
place.
Finally, as you continue to integrate social media into various
aspects of your lives, prioritizing security will ensure that these
platforms remain trusted and reliable channels for communication
and engagement.
