X Stock Drops 5% Amid Massive Cyberattack

Elon Musk, the CEO of X, announced on March 10 that the social media platform was under a "massive cyberattack." The attack, which began in the early afternoon, caused widespread outages, preventing users from accessing the platform. Musk, who has over 219 million followers on X, posted about the incident, stating that the attack was unprecedented in scale and resources. He speculated that the attack could be the work of a large, coordinated group or even a state actor, or a combination of both.

Musk's statement came as users across the platform reported difficulties logging in and accessing their accounts. The outages were significant, with more than 40,000 users reporting issues. This is not the first time X has faced cyberattacks. Musk has previously mentioned that the platform is targeted daily, but this particular incident stood out due to the extensive resources deployed.

The cyberattack led to three waves of outages throughout the day, further disrupting the platform's services. Musk's claims about the attack's origin and the resources involved have raised concerns about the potential involvement of state actors or highly organized groups. The incident highlights the ongoing challenges faced by social media platforms in maintaining security and protecting user data.

Musk implied that the attack was still ongoing, despite user functionality being quickly restored. At the time of writing, there were more than 33,000 reports of X outages. Musk confirmed the cyberattack in response to a social media user who detailed a series of attacks against the entrepreneur’s interests, from protests against the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to vandalism of Tesla stores.

Musk's response to the cyberattack underscores the importance of robust cybersecurity measures in the digital age. As the platform continues to recover from the outages, users and industry experts alike are closely monitoring the situation for further developments. The incident serves as a reminder of the constant threat posed by cyberattacks and the need for vigilance in protecting digital infrastructure.