Cloudflare Crash Knocks X, ChatGPT Offline

A configuration file error at global internet infrastructure firm Cloudflare led to a “significant outage” on Tuesday, causing widespread disruption and blocking access for thousands of users trying to reach high-profile sites like X (formerly Twitter), ChatGPT, Zoom, and Canva.

The incident began shortly after 11:30 GMT, with users flocking to sites like Downdetector (which itself was briefly affected) to report issues accessing services.

Cloudflare, which provides security and content delivery services to approximately 20% of all websites worldwide, confirmed that the problem was internal. The company stated the outage was caused by a configuration file designed to manage threat traffic that grew too large and “triggered a crash” in the software handling traffic for its wider services.

The firm stressed that the problem was a technical fault, not a cyberattack.

“We apologise to our customers and the Internet in general for letting you down today,” Cloudflare said, adding that “Given the importance of Cloudflare’s services, any outage is unacceptable.”

While the issue has been largely resolved, the fallout reinforced warnings from cybersecurity experts.

Cloudflare’s primary function is to act as a crucial middle layer: it shields sites from Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks by filtering out malicious traffic and ensuring quick loading times. This makes it an essential “gatekeeper” for web stability.

Alp Toker, director of NetBlocks, described the event as a “catastrophic disruption to Cloudflare’s infrastructure.”

Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor at ESET, said the increasing reliance on firms like Cloudflare, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft Azure creates “fragile networks”. He noted, “The outages we have witnessed these last few months have once again highlighted the reliance on these fragile networks… there aren’t many other options.”