Bluesky says its recent outage was caused by another DDoS attack
TechCrunch
β’Tue, 18 Aug 2026 15:59:48 +0000
π° What Happened
Social network Bluesky confirmed that a recent day-long disruption was caused by a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that flooded the site with junk traffic over a 24-hour period, and said it had upgraded its defences. Security researchers discussing the attack in the IFIN public forum reported that Iran-backed attackers claimed responsibility, though Bluesky did not disclose details.
π The Backstory
DDoS attacks overload websites with traffic from hijacked or residential devices to knock them offline. The outage is the latest large-scale DDoS attack to hit Bluesky in recent months, following a prolonged series of outages in April, and it comes amid an increase in Iranian attacks on US businesses and critical infrastructure since the start of the US-Israel-led war earlier this year.
π― Why It Matters
The attack highlights how politically motivated actors are increasingly targeting widely used social platforms, with disruption to a public social network carrying real costs for users and free expression. It also underscores the rising threat of DDoS amplification and state-linked hacking as geopolitical tensions escalate.
Social network Bluesky confirmed that a recent day-long disruption was caused by a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that flooded the site with junk traffic over a 24-hour period, and said it had upgraded its defences. Security researchers discussing the attack in the IFIN public forum reported that Iran-backed attackers claimed responsibility, though Bluesky did not disclose details.
DDoS attacks overload websites with traffic from hijacked or residential devices to knock them offline. The outage is the latest large-scale DDoS attack to hit Bluesky in recent months, following a prolonged series of outages in April, and it comes amid an increase in Iranian attacks on US businesses and critical infrastructure since the start of the US-Israel-led war earlier this year.
The attack highlights how politically motivated actors are increasingly targeting widely used social platforms, with disruption to a public social network carrying real costs for users and free expression. It also underscores the rising threat of DDoS amplification and state-linked hacking as geopolitical tensions escalate.