X Stock Drops 5% After DDoS Attack by Pro-Palestinian Hackers

On March 10, the social media platform X experienced a significant disruption due to a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack. The attack, which overwhelmed the platform's servers with excessive traffic, caused intermittent outages and prevented thousands of users from accessing the site. The first outage began around 6 a.m. ET, with subsequent disruptions occurring throughout the morning. By 11:30 a.m. ET, the platform had stabilized, but users continued to experience intermittent issues.

Elon Musk, the owner of X, confirmed the cyberattack and suggested that it was a coordinated effort involving significant resources. He speculated that the attack could be the work of a large, coordinated group or even a state actor. A hacking group known as Dark Storm Team claimed responsibility for the attack via a public post on Telegram. This group, which first appeared around September 2023, is known for its pro-Palestinian stance and has targeted state organizations that support Israel. Their attacks have primarily focused on key business sectors in Israel and NATO member countries.

Dark Storm Team's tactics include remote access, data infiltration, ransomware, and DDoS attacks. The group's methods are similar to those of the Killnet gang, which carried out numerous DDoS attacks in 2023. The motive behind the attack on X is believed to be Musk's support for Israel, making him a target of the group's vitriol. The attack on X is seen as part of a broader cyberwarfare strategy, with sophisticated botnet activity, credential stuffing, API abuse, and targeted application-layer attacks designed to cripple operations.

Chad Cragle, CISO at cyber resilience platform Deepwatch, noted that X is under relentless cyberattacks, far beyond simple DoS attempts. These are full-scale DDoS assaults combined with sophisticated tactics aimed at maximum disruption and downtime. The political tensions and Musk's high-profile status make these attacks indicative of nation-state aggression. The group's actions suggest a coordinated effort to expose data and cause significant disruption.

The Telegram channel used by Dark Storm Team to claim responsibility for the attack has since been deleted for violating the platform’s terms of service. Screenshots shared on X show the group stating they “took X offline,” alongside a screenshot of failed connection attempts from various global locations. Ed Krassenstein, a social