SEBASTIEN BOZONAFP
Elon Musk said X was hit Monday by a major cyberattack, raising questions about whether the politically divisive billionaire is being targeted or his decision to gut staff at what was once Twitter is haunting the social network.
Reports of problems with X started early Monday, with users in Asia, Europe, and North America saying they could not access the platform, according to the Downdetector tracking site.
"There was (still is) a massive cyberattack against X," Musk said in a post on the platform, which worked sporadically as the day wore on.
The SpaceX and Tesla boss also blamed a cyberattack, although he provided no evidence, for crashing the site last year when an interview with Donald Trump was about to be streamed on it.
Musk shared a post from an account called DogeDesigner suggesting that the latest cyberattack was another burst of animosity towards him, in line with recent protests against the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that he leads and vandalization of Tesla facilities.
Musk speculated that such an attack would take tremendous resources, and that it was the work of a country or large coordinated group.
During an interview on Fox Business, he alleged that the computers used in the attack appeared to have digital addresses in the Ukraine area and that X was still trying to figure out exactly what had happened.
Cybersecurity experts say that it is difficult to assess the situation without being able to see into X operations. Still, the duration of the trouble is a sign of an attack.
"It's cyberwar hitting at full force," said Chad Cragle of cyber defense platform Deepwatch.
"With Musk in the spotlight and political tensions at a peak, these attacks bear all the indicators of nation-state aggression."
"We say the 'scalpel' rather than the 'hatchet,'" Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social.
The president's message represents the first significant move to rein in the power accorded to Musk, as DOGE works toward gutting federal staffing and spending.
DOGE's cost-cutting campaign has faced increasing resistance, including court rulings and some pressure from lawmakers.
Trump confirmed that he had convened his cabinet to deliver the message that they, not Musk, were in charge of their departments.
© Agence France-Presse
