“Dark Storm” Hacker Group Targets X in Massive DDoS Cyberattack, Launches Memecoin

The digital world faced another shakeup this week as X (formerly Twitter), the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, fell victim to a significant cyberattack. A group known as the Dark Storm team, reportedly aligned with pro-Palestinian causes, has claimed responsibility for the assault, which took the form of a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. The incident disrupted connectivity for users and sparked widespread discussion, especially given its timing amid heightened global tensions.

According to a Telegram post from the group, the Dark Storm team deliberately targeted X, aiming to knock it offline. Musk himself acknowledged the attack in a post on the platform, responding to a comment from another user who criticized ongoing protests against both Musk and President Donald Trump.

Musk described the attack as unusually intense, suggesting it required significant resources and coordination. He speculated that it could involve either a large, organized collective or potentially a state actor, though investigations into the source are still underway. The scale of the assault, Musk noted, set it apart from the daily barrage of smaller attacks X typically fends off.

Reports indicate that the Dark Storm group emerged in September 2023, with possible ties to Russia, though these connections remain unverified. The group’s pro-Palestinian stance has been cited in various online discussions, adding a geopolitical layer to their actions.

On Monday, X users encountered widespread issues, including broken links and dropped connections, as tracked by Downdetector, a service monitoring website performance and hacking activity.

From Cyberattack to Crypto Memecoins

In a surprising twist, the Dark Storm team didn’t stop at claiming responsibility for the DDoS attack. Following their initial Telegram announcement, which included links to reports verifying X’s downtime, the group launched a Solana based memecoin on the Pump.fun platform.

In a subsequent post, they boasted of being the first to successfully hack X and promoted the memecoin as their “official coin,” posting the contract address to the coin. This move blends cyberactivism with a financial play, raising questions about the group’s broader intentions and whether profit or ideology drives their efforts, or they’re just trolling.

The attack’s impact on X users was immediate and noticeable, with many taking to other platforms to voice frustration over the outages. Downdetector’s data painted a clear picture of the disruption, showing a spike in reports as the DDoS overwhelmed X’s servers.

For Musk, this incident adds to an already complex narrative surrounding his leadership of X, a platform that has faced scrutiny for its handling of content moderation and security since his takeover. The ongoing trace of the attack’s origins, as Musk hinted, could reveal more about the perpetrators and their capabilities, potentially reshaping how tech giants like X defend against such threats.