Cloudflare

Profile narrative

Cloudflare provides a suite of cloud-based services focused on internet security, performance, and reliability. Its offerings include distributed denial-of-service protection, a global content delivery network, authoritative DNS, and Zero Trust network access solutions. Additional services encompass SSL/TLS encryption, web application firewall, bot management, and load balancing. The company also provides a serverless platform known as Cloudflare Workers for running code at the edge. These services are designed to help customers protect their web applications, improve site speed, and ensure reliable connectivity. Cloudflare serves a diverse market that includes individual developers, small businesses, and large enterprises across multiple industries.

Cloudflare is headquartered in the United States of America and operates a network of data centers located in numerous countries around the world. The infrastructure uses anycast routing to direct user requests to the nearest facility. This global footprint enables the company to absorb and mitigate large-scale traffic attacks and to deliver content from locations close to end users. The network is built to handle high volumes of requests while maintaining low latency. Continuous investment in capacity and peering relationships supports its ability to serve a growing base of internet properties.

Notable aspects of Cloudflare’s approach include its emphasis on Zero Trust security principles, which were demonstrated during the 2023 Okta compromise when internal detection and access controls prevented threat actors from reaching customer data. The company has also developed expertise in mitigating volumetric and packet-based DDoS attacks, as evidenced by the 2020 attack that peaked at over 750 million packets per second and the 2014 NTP amplification incident that exceeded 400 gigabits per second. These experiences have contributed to its capabilities in network-layer defense and traffic scrubbing. Cloudflare’s internal security team employs real-time monitoring, logging, and automated response mechanisms to detect and contain threats swiftly. The firm regularly publishes transparency reports and attack trend analyses that share insights with the broader security community.

Structurally, Cloudflare operates as an independent, publicly traded corporation listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker NET. It does not have a parent company and maintains subsidiaries that support its global operations and product development efforts. The firm’s headquarters remain in the United States, reflecting its incorporation and primary operational base. Cloudflare completed its initial public offering in 2019 and has since been included in various market indices tracking technology and infrastructure companies.

Incidents

5 incidents linked to this organisation.