Pro-Palestine Hacking Collective Dark Storm Team Takes Credit for Massive X DDoS Attack
The online world was left reeling earlier today when Twitter, or X as it is now known, went down for an extended period of time, leaving users unable to access the platform for hours. The site finally came back online, but not before Elon Musk took to social media to warn his followers about a massive cyberattack.
"There was (still is) a massive cyberattack against X," Musk wrote. "We get attacked every day, but this was done with a lot of resources. Either a large, coordinated group and/or a country is involved. Tracing the source of these attacks is an ongoing process." But it wasn't long before a hacking collective on Telegram claimed responsibility for the attack, sparking questions about their credibility.
The group, known as Dark Storm Team, has been making headlines in recent weeks with claims of launching DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) attacks in support of Palestine. And now, they're taking credit for the X outage.
Who is Dark Storm Team?
Dark Storm Team is a hacking collective that has been active on Telegram, where it boasts of its cyberattacks and offers paid DDoS services to other groups and individuals. The group's track record is shaky at best, with many of the sites they claim to have taken down already having suffered similar attacks from other hacking organizations.
On February 11th, Dark Storm Team announced that it was planning a new series of DDoS attacks on NATO countries, Israel, and their supporters. "We have finally returned. We will launch a cyber attack on the services and government websites of NATO countries, Israel, and the countries that support Israel. Expect us," the group wrote.
The Attack on X
Earlier today, Dark Storm Team retweeted a post from @syposecure, which announced the attack and posted a screenshot of a Telegram channel. The channel claimed to have been tracking the outage and shared links to coverage of the incident, although it has not provided definitive proof that they were behind the attack.
Over the course of the next few hours, while X was still down, the Telegram channel shared more information about the attack, including screenshots and messages claiming responsibility. The group even took a shot at Elon Musk, tweeting "How are you elon musk? I hope you liked our visit."
A Paid Service?
One of the most striking aspects of Dark Storm Team's operation is its offer of paid DDoS services to other groups and individuals. The group has been using this service to attack various sites, including Interpol and the Israel Ministry of Defense.
"Not your business" was the response from a member of a Telegram group linked to Dark Storm Team when asked for any independent proof that they were behind the X outage. This lack of transparency raises questions about the group's credibility and its true intentions.
The Fallout
As the world grapples with the aftermath of this massive DDoS attack, one thing is clear: Dark Storm Team has made a name for itself as a pro-Palestine hacking collective. But can it be trusted?
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