Fact Check: X.com was hacked by Dark Storm Team

Fact Check: "X.com was hacked by Dark Storm Team"

What We Know

On March 11, 2025, Elon Musk announced that his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), experienced a "massive cyber attack." The hacking group known as Dark Storm Team claimed responsibility for this attack via a post on Telegram, stating, "Twitter has been taken offline by Dark Storm Team" (Sky News). This group, founded in 2023, is known for targeting entities that support Israel, including Israeli hospitals and US airports, according to cybersecurity experts (Sky News, Newsweek).

Musk suggested that the attack's IP addresses were traced to locations in the "Ukraine area," but this assertion was disputed by Dark Storm Team, which denied any connection to Ukraine and criticized Musk's claims as unfounded (Sky News, Newsweek). Cybersecurity experts, including those from Check Point, indicated that the attack appeared to be a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, which typically involves overwhelming a network with traffic from multiple locations (Sky News, PCMag).

Analysis

The claim that Dark Storm Team was behind the attack on X is supported by their own admission on Telegram, which is a primary source for their involvement. The group's history of politically motivated cyberattacks lends credibility to their claim, as they have previously targeted organizations aligned with Israeli interests (Sky News, Hindustan Times).

However, it is important to note that while Dark Storm Team claimed responsibility, the context of the attack is complex. Musk's assertion linking the attack to Ukraine has been met with skepticism from cybersecurity experts, who argue that such attacks typically originate from various global locations rather than a single country (Sky News, Newsweek). This suggests that while Dark Storm Team may have executed the attack, the geopolitical implications Musk hinted at may not be as straightforward.

The reliability of the sources reporting on this incident varies. Sky News and Newsweek are established news organizations with a history of covering cybersecurity issues, while the Telegram posts from Dark Storm Team serve as direct evidence but must be viewed with caution due to the group's potential biases and motivations (Sky News, Newsweek).

Conclusion

The claim that "X.com was hacked by Dark Storm Team" is True. The evidence from multiple credible sources confirms that Dark Storm Team claimed responsibility for the cyber attack on X, and their history of similar attacks supports their involvement. While there are conflicting narratives regarding the origins of the attack, the group's admission and established patterns of behavior substantiate the claim.

Fact Check: X.com was hacked by Dark Storm Team