Fact Check: The Twitter DDOS from 10.03.25 came from Ukraine.

Fact Check: "The Twitter DDOS from 10.03.25 came from Ukraine."

What We Know

On March 10, 2025, the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) experienced significant outages attributed to a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. Elon Musk, the owner of X, suggested that the attack originated from "IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area" during an interview on Fox Business Network (source-2). The pro-Palestinian hacker group Dark Storm Team claimed responsibility for the attacks, which they stated were aimed at entities supporting Israel's actions in Gaza (source-3).

Experts analyzing the incident noted that DDoS attacks typically involve a botnet—a network of compromised computers that can obscure the true origin of the attack. As Shawn Edwards, chief security officer at Zayo, pointed out, "IP attribution alone is not conclusive" since attackers often use methods to hide their actual location (source-2). Furthermore, researchers observed that Ukraine did not appear in the top 20 IP address origins involved in the attack, raising questions about the reliability of Musk's claims (source-2).

Analysis

While Musk's assertion that the DDoS attack had origins in Ukraine is based on IP address data, the context surrounding such claims is critical. The nature of DDoS attacks means that the geographical location of IP addresses does not necessarily indicate the actual source of the attack. As noted by various experts, including those from Cisco's ThousandEyes, the traffic patterns characteristic of DDoS attacks can involve a wide array of IP addresses from different regions, making it difficult to pinpoint a specific origin (source-2).

Moreover, the Dark Storm Team's claim of responsibility complicates the narrative. This group has been linked to pro-Palestinian activism and has unconfirmed ties to Russia, suggesting that the motivations behind the attack may not align with state-sponsored actions from Ukraine (source-3). Nicholas Reese, a cyber operations expert, argued that the nature of the attack—being loud and designed to be discovered—does not align with typical state-sponsored cyber operations, which are usually more discreet (source-3).

In summary, while Musk's claim that the attack originated from Ukrainian IP addresses is based on some level of data, the broader context and expert opinions suggest that this attribution may not be definitive or reliable.

Conclusion

Verdict: Partially True
The claim that the DDoS attack on X on March 10, 2025, came from Ukraine is partially true. While there were reports of IP addresses associated with Ukraine, the nature of DDoS attacks makes it challenging to ascertain the true origin of such attacks. The involvement of the Dark Storm Team and the lack of definitive evidence linking the attack to Ukraine further complicate the narrative. Therefore, while there is a basis for Musk's statement, it lacks the comprehensive backing needed for a conclusive attribution.