DDoS Attack: Conspiracy theories emerge following cyberattack on Trump-Musk interview

The Donald Trump and Elon Musk interview on X was delayed due to an alleged DDoS attack, sparking conspiracy theories.

The highly-anticipated interview between former U.S. President Donald Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk on X, formerly Twitter, was marred by a significant Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack. 

There appears to be a massive DDOS attack on 𝕏. Working on shutting it down.

Worst case, we will proceed with a smaller number of live listeners and post the conversation later.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 13, 2024

Although the technical glitch delayed the interview by 40 minutes, it was the conspiracy theories that emerged afterward that caught widespread attention.

Obama: DDos Now pic.twitter.com/5PIF2u7B1Q

— Elon Musk Citizen Journalist (Parody) (@xcitizenjournal) August 13, 2024

Various conspiracy theories surfaced, with some claiming that the CIA orchestrated the attack to disrupt Trump's return to the platform ahead of the U.S. Presidential elections. 

“We didn’t do the DDOS attack on 𝕏.” pic.twitter.com/tmdakFA74g

— Not Jerome Powell (@alifarhat79) August 13, 2024

Others pointed fingers at Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, suggesting he was behind the attack as a form of digital sabotage. Additionally, some theorists implicated Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, alleging that he sought to undermine Musk's platform.

"We didn't do the DDOS attack" pic.twitter.com/Alhzb9tyPn

— ᴛᴏᴘ ʀᴀɴᴋ (@toprankcapital) August 13, 2024

These theories quickly spread across X, formerly Twitter, sparking intense debate among users about the possible motivations behind the attack. 

The incident highlights growing concerns over cybersecurity, particularly given that, in recent years, major companies like AWS, Google, and Cloudflare have also faced record-breaking DDoS attacks.

In fact, Google’s Threat Analysis Group has noted a shift in the tactics used by threat actors, a trend evident since the 2020 U.S. elections. Amazon Web Services, a giant in cloud computing, was notably hit by a massive DDoS attack in February 2020.

Combined views of the conversation with @realDonaldTrump and subsequent discussion by other accounts now ~1 billion https://t.co/s8x8QmdmnY

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 13, 2024

Despite the initial delays and the spread of conspiracy theories, the interview eventually went ahead without issues. As it garnered over 1 billion views, users on X began to speculate about the origins of the cyberattack, with lingering questions about the true source continuing to fuel discussions on the platform.