Trump-Musk interview on X reportedly hit by DDoS attack: What it means

What is a DDoS attack?

A Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack simply means that a website or any other online service cannot be accessed because it has been the target of attacks from a malicious actor.  According to the US government’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, this targeting is done by directing a large number of users against a particular online server at the same time to “flood” it.

Bots can also be used to overwhelm the network, resulting in slow loading times or a total pause in internet services.

Computers connect to the Internet and one another through unique Internet Protocol (IP) addresses assigned to each device. The data they exchange is divided into smaller chunks, called “packets”. The tech company IBM’s website notes, “By using up a resource’s available bandwidth, DDoS attacks prevent these resources from responding to legitimate connection requests and packets.”

In the case of a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, multiple sources work against one target. This makes the culprit harder to locate.

How do DoS and DDoS attacks work?

There are different ways of carrying out DOS attacks. Botnets, which are networks of compromised devices, can be deployed by potential attackers.

In a “Smurf Attack”, the attacker sends Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) broadcast packets to several hosts. The ICMP can be normally used to communicate data transmission errors to systems, but in this case, attackers send it maliciously.

While communicating, attackers use a spoofed source IP address which actually belongs to the target machine. As the target machines respond, they end up flooding their own servers, resulting in a DDoS attack.

Then there is an “SYN flood”, which occurs when an attacker sends a request to connect to the target server but does not complete the connection. Normally, the request source asks for a connection, and then the target accepts by sending an acknowledgement. Finally, the request source finalises the connection.

In this case, the attacker sends a request and receives an acknowledgement, but does not complete the connection. Multiple, targeted incomplete connections again result in a load for the server, making it difficult to complete legitimate connections smoothly.

What are the signs of a DoS attack and how can it be dealt with?

Slowing internet speed and inability to access an online service are signs of a DoS attack. However, firewalls and online security systems are the best sources for verifying this because internet issues can also be the result of other factors.

For instance, back in May 2023, Elon Musk hosted Florida Governor and then Republican Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis on Spaces, the same audio platform on X where he hosted Trump. That interview also began after a delay of 30 minutes. Musk then blamed the high volume of listeners — around 4,20,000 — for the system being strained. This time, around one million people tuned in.

Anti-virus software can help detect unusual traffic, alert users and thwart DDoS attacks.

How significant can DoS attacks be?

DoS attacks can cause major disruption, lasting for anywhere between a few hours to a few days. In 2016, major websites like Spotify, Twitter and Amazon were unavailable for many hours because of a DDoS attack.

Before the Paris Olympics, France’s state services were targeted in a major cyberattack. “Several hacker groups claimed responsibility for the attacks on Telegram, a messaging app, including one calling itself Anonymous Sudan which said it had launched a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on French government network infrastructure”, according to an AFP report.