A major global internet network experienced an outage, impacting numerous high-profile websites across the world.
Websites such as X/Twitter, Substack, LinkedIn, and Canva were affected by a significant Cloudflare outage that occurred this morning. The outage reportedly lasted for approximately 20 minutes, from 8:52 am to 9:13 am GMT. Cloudflare’s Chief Technology Officer confirmed that the incident was not a malicious attack. This outage occurred shortly after another widespread disruption for which the company had issued an apology.
Most websites affected by the earlier Cloudflare outage, as indicated by DownDetector, are now operational and running normally.
During the outage, some users reported that Downdetector, an online platform that monitors internet outages, was ironically inaccessible to them. Downdetector provides real-time updates on website and service statuses by collecting data from user reports, social media mentions, and other online sources.
Tim Wright, Technology Partner at Fladgate, emphasized the risk of relying heavily on a limited number of internet infrastructure providers like Cloudflare. He highlighted the vulnerabilities in cloud resilience strategies, which can lead to repeated disruptions and attract regulatory scrutiny.
Cloudflare’s CTO confirmed that the outage was not the result of a cyberattack. Dane Knecht clarified that the issue stemmed from a technical adjustment made to address a security vulnerability, and normal service has since been restored.
Following the outage, which lasted around 20 minutes, Cloudflare reported that services have been mostly reinstated. The company acknowledged and addressed the issues with its Dashboard and related APIs before announcing that a solution had been implemented and that they were monitoring the situation.
The outage affected various websites and apps, including Vinted, X, Canva, Shopify, Zoom, LinkedIn, and Deliveroo.
Cloudflare, a prominent internet infrastructure company, offers services aimed at enhancing the speed and security of websites and applications globally. The company serves a significant portion of websites worldwide, including major platforms like X and Canva, as well as smaller online entities.
The outage resulted in internal service degradation for Cloudflare, impacting users’ ability to access websites across the globe. Reports from Downdetector indicated that the outages were widespread, with users encountering “500 internet server error” messages on multiple websites.