Dark Storm Team, a pro-Palestinian hacktivist group, has emerged as a growing cyber threat, claiming responsibility for several high-profile cyberattacks. Their latest target? X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. The group allegedly launched a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack, disrupting access to the platform for thousands of users worldwide.
The attack, which began on Monday and continued into Tuesday morning, was acknowledged by X owner Elon Musk, who described it as a “massive cyberattack.” According to cybersecurity experts, the scale and coordination of the attack suggest it may have involved multiple locations, making attribution complex.
Dark Storm Team: A hacktivist group with a political agenda
Founded in 2023, Dark Storm Team has built a reputation for targeting high-profile organizations, particularly those associated with Israel and its allies. The group is known for its sophisticated cyber warfare tactics, focusing primarily on DDoS attacks to overwhelm and disable online services.
According to cybersecurity firm Orange Cyberdefense, the group operates with a clear pro-Palestinian agenda. They have vowed to launch cyberattacks against government websites of NATO countries, Israel, and nations that support Israel. Their activities are not just limited to social media platforms like X—they have previously disrupted critical infrastructure in multiple countries.
Not their first attack: Previous high-profile targets
Dark Storm Team has made headlines before, claiming responsibility for cyberattacks on various entities across different sectors. Some of their most notable attacks include:
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Israeli hospitals – The group targeted medical facilities in Israel, attempting to disrupt healthcare services.
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U.S. airports – Major airports such as John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) faced operational disruptions due to their attacks.
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Government websites – The group has launched attacks against government websites in countries allied with Israel as a form of protest.
On March 10, 2025, the group took credit for the large-scale DDoS attack on X. They even shared a screenshot of real-time connectivity failures, showing how their attack had disrupted access to the platform worldwide.
How do their attacks work?
Dark Storm Team primarily uses Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, a method that floods a target with excessive traffic, overwhelming its servers and causing service disruptions. While these attacks are not always highly sophisticated, they can be effective in temporarily taking down websites and online platforms.
Elon Musk stated that the attack on X involved IP addresses from the "Ukraine area," but cybersecurity experts have warned against drawing conclusions too quickly. Given the decentralized nature of hacktivist groups, their attacks often involve networks of compromised devices worldwide, making precise attribution challenging.
The bigger picture: A growing cyber threat
Dark Storm Team’s activities reflect a broader trend of politically motivated cyberattacks, where hacktivist groups use digital warfare to target governments, corporations, and critical infrastructure. Their focus on entities aligned with Israel suggests they may continue targeting high-profile organizations in the future.
As cybersecurity threats evolve, experts warn that DDoS attacks like these could become more frequent and disruptive. While X has managed to recover from the recent attack, Dark Storm Team’s growing list of targets indicates that they are far from done.
