A significant internet outage struck global users on Tuesday, largely attributed to issues at Cloudflare, a vital internet infrastructure company. The disruption left numerous major websites and online services inaccessible, with prominent platforms like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Elon Musk's social media site X among those reportedly affected.
Cloudflare Blames "Unusual Traffic Spike"
Cloudflare confirmed the incident, stating a "spike in unusual traffic" was observed around 6:20 a.m. ET to one of its services. This surge led to errors in some of the web traffic routed through its extensive network. A company spokesperson indicated that the precise cause of this unusual traffic spike remains under investigation. Cloudflare emphasized its teams were fully engaged, working diligently to restore all traffic flow without errors. Updates regarding the ongoing investigation were posted on its system status page.
The Role of Cloudflare's Infrastructure
Cloudflare's technology is critical for countless businesses worldwide, playing a key role in managing and securing web traffic. Its services include protection against distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, where malicious actors attempt to overwhelm a website's systems with an excessive volume of traffic requests, rendering them inoperable.
Market Impact: Cloudflare Shares Slide
Following the news of the outage, shares of Cloudflare experienced a notable decline, sliding more than 3% in premarket trading. The incident underscores the interconnected nature of the internet and the reliance of countless services on foundational infrastructure providers like Cloudflare.
