Silence during chaos: Why the X outage is a call to arms for proactive monitoring

When X (formerly Twitter) suffered a global outage on March 10-11, 2025, millions of users and businesses were left searching for answers. Apart from a brief post from CEO Elon Musk referencing a DDoS (Denial of Service) attack, official details were limited. Catchpoint’s Internet Sonar detected the crisis in real time, highlighting the critical role of proactive monitoring.

Below, we dissect the outage’s timeline and the urgent lessons for businesses navigating today’s fragile digital ecosystem.

X outage explained: What happened?  

On March 10, 2025, starting at 5:30 AM EDT, users worldwide were abruptly disconnected from X. Over the next 24 hours, waves of outages—punctuated by brief recoveries—left users stranded, unable to access feeds, send messages, or engage with content. The disruption spanned 30+ countries, from Argentina to the UAE, underscoring the platform’s global reliance.

The outage unfolded in several distinct stages due to connection time outs.  

Tracking the X outage in real time

March 10

• First wave:

• 5:30am EDT: First reports of X being down surface.

• 6:30am EDT: X comes back for most users.

• Second wave:

• 9:30am EDT: A second wave of outage reports indicates that X is down again.

• Third wave:

• 11:15am EDT: A third wave of outage reports emerges, with X down once again.

• Recovery phase:

• 1:15pm EDT: X recovers for many users.

• 2:15pm EDT: X is working for some, but many continue to report issues.

• 3:25pm EDT: X (Twitter) recovers for most people.

March 11

• Additional reports:  

• 5:00am EDT: A small spike in outage reports appears.

Outages appear to have subsided as of reporting, though this could change as investigations into the route cause continue.  

How did Catchpoint’s Internet Sonar reveal the disruption?

Catchpoint’s Internet Sonar detected multiple outages for X in real time as the outages unfolded.  

The Internet Sonar view above shows how multiple X-related domains were unable to deliver content. These domains are often used to load content on other websites (known as "child requests"). The widespread failures seen across many locations emphasize how extensively the outage disrupted not only X but also other websites relying on X’s infrastructure.  

The scatterplot above shows multiple tests run against X Corp’s domains throughout the outage period. The clusters of red dots highlight moments when tests consistently failed or timed out. Each cluster corresponds with one of the outage waves, clearly illustrating the recurring and widespread nature of X’s connection issues during this incident.

The waterfall chart above shows that X's servers could initially be reached, but they were extremely slow to respond. Eventually, these requests timed out completely, meaning the servers never delivered the requested content. This highlights the severe delays users experienced during the outage.

The traceroute data above shows significant issues during the outage, particularly large packet losses and high round-trip times (RTT). High packet loss means that data sent to X's servers was frequently lost along the way, while increased RTT indicates that responses from X’s servers were severely delayed. Both clearly illustrate why users experienced such sluggish performance during the outage.

What caused the outage

CEO Elon Musk attributed the outage to a DDoS attack.

Our own data collected over an extended baseline for X corp’s domains shows that during the outage there was a notable spike in the mean wait time. This suggests the servers were slower to respond—an effect that aligns with what typically occurs during a DDoS attack.

Lessons learned: Navigating outages with clarity and preparedness

X’s outage was more than a temporary disruption—it was a masterclass in the vulnerabilities of our digital age. Below, we distill the key lessons for businesses, IT teams, and users alike, emphasizing the need for vigilance and tools that cut through the noise.

1. The internet is interconnected—and fragile

The outage underscored a truth we often overlook: the Internet, for all its vastness, is a delicate tapestry of interdependent systems. A platform as entrenched as X collapsed not once, but repeatedly over 24 hours, leaving millions adrift. This fragility isn’t unique to social media. Modern applications rely on the Internet Stack: layers of third-party services—APIs, cloud providers, DNS resolvers—each a potential point of failure. When one thread unravels, the entire fabric can fray.

Consider the ripple effects of X’s disruption: small businesses lost real-time customer engagement, journalists struggled to share breaking news, and emergency responders in some regions faced communication delays. The takeaway is clear: no platform, no matter how dominant, is immune to disruption. Preparedness begins with acknowledging this vulnerability.

2. Vendor updates are not enough— independent visibility matters

During the outage, users received limited information beyond a brief statement from X’s CEO. This situation isn't uncommon—vendor status pages often struggle to keep pace with rapidly evolving incidents. Such delays, however, often lead to confusion and slower response times for impacted businesses and users.

The takeaway here isn't about placing blame—it's about being prepared. Independent, proactive monitoring tools ensure your organization has clear, real-time insights, enabling faster responses and smoother operations, regardless of vendor communication timelines.

3. A better way forward: Independent, proactive monitoring

X’s outage underscored the necessity of proactive, independent monitoring tools that empower businesses to act decisively and quickly. Our users leveraged two key solutions from our portal: Internet Sonar and Internet Stack Map, both of which proved invaluable.

Internet Sonar acted as a lighthouse during the storm, providing real-time, vendor-agnostic insights. It detected the outage’s first ripple, mapped its global spread, and quantified its impact. For IT teams, this meant one critical advantage: time. Instead of reacting to user complaints, they could pivot swiftly, rerouting workflows or notifying stakeholders before the crisis deepened.

Internet Sonar’s map view above shows how widespread the disruption was, with outages reported across multiple locations around the globe.

Internet Stack Map complemented this by visualizing X’s dependencies. When the platform went dark, Stack Map users saw exactly how interconnected services—APIs, authentication layers, content delivery networks—were affected. This turned a black-box event into a navigable challenge. Root-cause analysis, often a days-long slog, became a matter of minutes.

4. Not to be overlooked: deploying a robust WAF solution

To protect against DDoS attacks, ensure you deploy and properly configure a Web Application Firewall (WAF). A robust WAF identifies and mitigates malicious traffic before it impacts your services, complementing independent monitoring by providing proactive security alongside real-time visibility.

The X outage was a stark reminder that in today’s digital world, independent visibility isn't just helpful—it's essential for resilience, preparedness, and maintaining trust in moments of chaos.

View our live Internet outages map powered by Internet Sonar.